a speaker at Retina 2012. Proper use of telemedicine and a software safety net to manage the data help ensure that treatment is delivered when and where it is needed, Capone added. “In the future, we will employ remote digital image interpretation to ensure a proper level of ROP care,” he said.

VA Telehealth Lauded As Model Healthcare Program

Report: From an American perspective, the report raises the question of why telehealth hasn’t gained more traction in this country, considering the VHA’s success with it. The VHA program, which served 50,000 veterans in 2011, is the largest telehealth project in the world, the report said. Patients enrolled in the program–most of whom have chronic conditions such as heart failure, COPD, hypertension, diabetes, and post-traumatic stress disorder–receive free telemonitoring equipment and attention from care coordinators who teach them how to manage their own care. According to a 2008 study cited in the U.K. report, the program reduced hospital bed days by 25% and hospital admissions by 19% for a cohort of 17,000 participating patients. A full 87% percent of the patients said they liked the program. Results of a recent U.K. telehealth pilot showed reductions of 15% in emergency department visits and 14% in admissions and bed days. Mortality rates dropped a whopping 45%.

HHS reports progress on telehealth regulations

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services is making “significant progress” toward new and revised rules that would save the healthcare industry billions of dollars, including ones that will address privileging and credentialing and documentation regulations for both in-person and telemedicine visits, the agency reported. Many of the rules–both proposed and final–increase efficiency and alleviate administrative burdens on physicians, HHS wrote in its most recent update. HHS reported on health IT-related efforts, including a proposed rule that would allow patients to more easily access their clinical lab test results, and two that would affect telemedicine programs. One would revise the Medicaid home health service definition under the Affordable Care Act to add a requirement that physicians document face-to-face encounters, including those conducted using telehealth technology, with the Medicaid eligible individual within specified timeframes. HHS says this rule would save an estimated $1.2 billion by 2019.

Sen. Udall drafting bill to kill telemedicine barriers

Sen. Tom Udall (D-Utah) anticipates introducing a bill this spring to make it easier for physicians to practice telemedicine in many states instead of applying for a separate license for each state. The bill, which is still being drafted, would streamline licensure portability across state lines, according to Fern Goodhart, Udall’s legislative assistant. “Telemedicine is medicine, just practiced virtually,” she said at a Jan. 31 Capitol Hill briefing sponsored by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA), which advocates for use of remote medical technologies. Legislation may be needed because the private sector market has not generated medical license portability, even with the increasing adoption of health IT and networking capabilities, she said.

Baby Pajamas Talk To Your Phone, Tablet Via Cloud

Exmobaby is designed to alleviate parents’ concerns about babies’ health risks such as sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). The product is a snap-on transmitter that measures vital signs in infants, including heart rate, skin temperature, moisture, and movement. As part of the agreement, AT&T’s wireless network will enable the transmission of sensor data from the baby pajamas to the cloud. The data is transmitted at regular intervals and accessed by computer, tablet, or smartphone. The information is used to interpret the baby’s emotional state and behavior, and alerts are transmitted to parents and caregivers when their babies require care. [ Remote monitoring could help save babies' lives and healthcare dollars, says American Telemedicine Association.

Telemedicine on the rise in northeastern Ontario

The North East Local Health Integration Network expects 30,000 trips to the doctor will be virtual online visits in 2012. The health network is seeing an increase in the use of telemedicine technology across northeastern Ontario because it is such an effective tool to connect doctors and patients. Colleen Harrison says her 10-month-old daughter, Abigail, burned her hand with a cup of tea. Doctors in North Bay recommended Harrison attend the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, but she was able to have the burn examined via a camera feed between North Bay and Toronto.

Thinking underwear for warriors

Technically known as a "wear and forget physiological sensing system," thinking undergarments may be the next-generation drawers for the modern warfighter. Gel-free sensors form an electronic network in the fabric to monitor respiration and heart rate, activity, body posture and skin temperature — relaying that data through the warfighters' layers of clothing to a central system. The technology could provide an unprecedented capability not just to monitor warfighters during combat and identify critical casualties but also to train and select for missions.

Investor paper on telehealth

Triple Tree, an investment banking firm which seems to be one of the few making multiple active investments in telehealth and telecare, as well as sponsoring the iAwards in wireless health [TA 22 Jan], recently released this white paper on ‘Innovation & the Health Care Needs of Seniors’ which provides a wealth of information on technology use in home care.

Telecare Soapbox: The security of telecare confidential information

Guy Dewsbury, Managing Director of Dewsbury, which is a freelance specialist technology writing service and consultancy, takes a thoughtful look at data security in telecare call centres and asks a few pertinent questions. Let me state at the off that there are some really great call centres that I have been privileged to work with and some others I have become acquainted with that deserve high praise. That said, when you pick up the phone and speak to your bank, you feel protected…

Mobile is doctor’s helper as technology revolutionizes medicine

Surgeons sporting 3-D glasses, and mobile apps that can share ultrasound pictures with loved ones during a check-up illustrate some of the high-tech gadgetry revolutionizing the healthcare sector. Numerous electronics makers are introducing their innovations to the UAE, where spending on health care topped Dh28 billion (US$7.6bn) last year and is forecast to grow more than 8 per cent this year, according to data from Business Monitor International. Businesses, including smartphone manufacturers, software developers and insurers, are expected to benefit from a growing number of doctors who are turning to mobile phones in particular to more accurately diagnose and examine patients from afar.

Despite wider acceptance, barriers to robotic telemedicine remain

Regulatory and financial barriers continue to hinder adoption of robotic telemedicine in emergency and critical care medicine, according to a new study in the January/February edition of Telemedicine and e-Health. But cultural and technical barriers seem to be abating. The study’s authors asked respondents about seven different topics related to barriers to implementing telemedicine. “Respondents proclaimed that [robotic telemedicine] success was still hampered by licensing, credentialing, and malpractice protection, as well as costs, billing, and reimbursement issues,” according to the report.  For example, 61 percent agreed or strongly agreed that inability to bill services rendered was a barrier to implementation of RTM, according to a CMIO magazine story. Sixty-one percent agreed or strongly agreed that out-of-state licensing was a barrier to implementation and 73.3 percent agreed or strongly agreed that government reimbursement was a barrier to implementation. “The majority of all respondents indicated that cultural issues did not constitute meaningful hurdles, technological matters were generally favorable, and that most personnel were agreeable to both achieving the buy-in to start a [telemedicine] program and to maintaining [it] once started,” the report’s authors wrote. More evidence that users are buying into telemedicine programs: Respondents listed providing clinical support (84 percent), maintaining patient satisfaction (80 percent), achieving immediate patient access (69.5 percent), overcoming service gaps (60 percent) and improving quality (59 percent), and as “significant motives” for implementing telemedicine programs.

Global Healthcare Services Industry to Reach US$3.0 Trillion by 2015,

Advancements in the field of healthcare has improved life expectancy as well as quality. The healthcare services industry is largely labor intensive and affected by advancements in medical technologies and patient requirements. The industry is also driven by new legislations and government incentives. Over the years, spending on healthcare services has risen significantly following the availability of advanced technology services, new drugs and increase in health insurance premiums. Further demand for healthcare services is on rise with change in demographic scenario, disease profiles and increasing occurrence of lifestyle diseases. Health related ailments increase with age, in turn driving demand for health care. With preference for home healthcare over hospital settings high among the elderly as well as chronically ill population, home healthcare spending is expected to witness robust growth. Healthcare care costs in the US are bound to ascend in 2012, given the stress in the recovering economy, depreciating Medicaid and Medicare reimbursements as well as consolidation among providers. Consolidation is rampant at the provider level, with hospitals taking over physician practices.

Initiative for Satellite Enabled Electronic Health Services

Logica, a leading business and technology service company, today announced it has been selected by the ), to lead a multinational consortium in a study on electronic health (eHealth) delivery, enabled by satellite, in Sub-Saharan Africa.  Sub-Saharan Africa presents a significant challenge for medical professionals. The region has around 11 percent of the world’s population, however has 25 percent of the global disease burden (in human and financial costs), but less than 1 percent of global health expenditure. Delivery is also a challenge with just 3 percent of the world’s health workers deployed in the region, so doctors and nurses are often a long way from their patients and access is difficult due to poor infrastructure. This is where the European Space Agency (ESA) comes in. Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and in particular satellite communications can enable the timely delivery of care, training and educational content, perform epidemic surveillance and support health system administration over the vast distances involved in this region. ESA recently launched the Satellite-Enhanced Telemedicine and eHealth for Sub-Saharan Africa Program (eHSA). Working in collaboration with the Luxembourg Agency for Development Cooperation (LuxDev) and with the co-funding of the Government of Luxembourg and the European Union – Africa Infrastructure Trust Fund, eHSA’s goal is to develop a satellite-enhanced eHealth and Telemedicine infrastructure to benefit sub-Saharan Africa. One of the first objectives of the program is to conduct a governance study among 48 countries in the region which will make sure that the right procedures, policies, and organizational structures are in place before the eventual move to eHealth delivery. This study will be led by Logica, supported by its consortium partners drawn from public, private and voluntary sectors, including several charities representing the interests of the African nations.

Source for Story:

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by shortening our DNA telomeres. Telomere deterioration puts us at higher risk of developing cancer and other harmful conditions. The good news: There’s an ancient and well-known mind-body practice which is now proving successful in physically repairing this telomere DNA damage, while restoring peace of mind at the same time. What is this practice? Simple meditation.

What Are Telomeres?

Our genes are located on twisted, double-stranded molecules of DNA called chromosomes. At the ends of the chromosomes are stretches of DNA called telomeres. These are essentially caps that protect our genetic data, allow for cells to divide properly and reflect how we age. Similar to the plastic covers on the ends of shoelaces, telomeres protect chromosomes from fraying due to aging, poor health and environmental influences. Telomeres are shortened every time the cells divide; and when they become too short, the cells are not able to divide properly. While researchers are already aware that telomeres shorten and deteriorate with aging, new studies demonstrate that chronic stress also contributes to their reduction. Further research shows that as telomeres shrink, cancer risk grows.

Telomeres And Cancer

There is a scientifically established correlation between shortened telomeres and the incidence of many types of cancers, including pancreatic, bone, prostate, bladder, lung, kidney, head and neck tumors. Shortened telomeres and reduced telomerase activity have also been identified as important contributing factors in prostate carcinogenesis, ovarian cancer, genomic instability and breast cancer pathogenesis.

Without telomeres, chromosome ends can fuse together and cause the health of the cell to deteriorate, making the cell malfunction, become cancerous or die. Research is showing more and more evidence that loss of telomere function, either by altering telomere-binding proteins or by loss of telomeric sequences, is associated with the deterioration of cellular health leading to increased aging and disease.

Meditation Protects Telomeres

The inevitable wear and tear of your telomeres cannot be halted altogether, but it can certainly be delayed and even reversed through the activation of a key enzyme called telomerase. Telomerase protects the ends of telomeres from weakening and fraying. So how do you reap the benefits of this super-charged enzyme? Studies show that psychological changes associated with regular meditation improve your ability to cope with stress and contribute to increased telomerase activity.

“We have found that meditation promotes positive psychological changes, and that meditators showing the greatest improvement on various psychological measures had the highest levels of telomerase,” says Clifford Saron, associate research scientist at the UC Davis Center for Mind and Brain.

Regular, mindful meditation promotes relaxation, stress relief and improved circulation. This allows for advanced telomerase activity, naturally promoting cellular health and longevity.

Simple Practice for Beginners

If you’re not sure how to begin meditating, studies show that even just 10 minutes a day can provide significant mental, emotional and physical health benefits. Here’s a simple technique to get you started: Simply sit quietly and focus your attention, as well as your breathing, on a particular object such as a small stone. As thoughts and emotions arise, simply acknowledge and release them, bringing your attention back to your breath. As your practice unfolds, you may find that there is more and more space between your internal monologues, allowing for a sense of openness and freedom from everyday stresses and distractions. This is where the meditation and healing process truly begins. Initially, you should notice tangible benefits like better mental focus, improved emotional balance and increased energy.

Meditation And Healing Retreat

My own two-year meditation sabbatical has been profound for me; and, as this process winds down, it is my deepest desire to share what I have learned with anyone seeking deep healing and rejuvenation. In this spirit, I invite you to join me April 26 to 29 for a meditation and healing retreat at the Institute of Noetic Sciences in Petaluma, Calif. (For more information, go here.) During this retreat, I will be guiding participants through the practical aspects of meditation and healing, based on my extensive experience in the field combined with insights and techniques I’ve gained from years of dedicated meditation practice. My previous retreat, held in September, was a great success among participants. I am honored to have the chance to share this important aspect of healing again in 2012.

Meditation Can Benefit Anyone

No matter your age, health or belief system, simple regular meditation practice can benefit you on all levels. More and more doctors and health practitioners are recommending this ancient, time-tested practice; and meditation now holds a well-deserved, positive reputation in the medical field. It is a simple yet powerful and safe modality for supporting health, preventing illness and increasing overall quality of life.

Source for Story:

http://www.easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/meditation-fights-cancer-and-promotes-longevity/

from the University of Texas. “If further developed in clinical trials this approach would be a great advance on current procedures that usually imperfectly restore lost function within months at best.”

The team studied the mechanisms all animal cells use to repair damage to their membranes and focused on invertebrates, which have a superior ability to regenerate nerve axons compared to mammals. An axon is a long extension arising from a nerve cell body that communicates with other nerve cells or with muscles.

This research success arises from Bittner’s discovery that nerve axons of invertebrates which have been severed from their cell body do not degenerate within days, as happens with mammals, but can survive for months, or even years.

The severed proximal nerve axon in invertebrates can also reconnect with its surviving distal nerve axon to produce much quicker and much better restoration of behaviour than occurs in mammals.

“Severed invertebrate nerve axons can reconnect proximal and distal ends of severed nerve axons within seven days, allowing a rate of behavioural recovery that is far superior to mammals,” said Bittner. “In mammals the severed distal axonal stump degenerates within three days and it can take nerve growths from proximal axonal stumps months or years to regenerate and restore use of muscles or sensory areas, often with less accuracy and with much less function being restored.”

The team described their success in applying this process to rats in two research papers published today. The team were able to repair severed sciatic nerves in the upper thigh, with results showing the rats were able to use their limb within a week and had much function restored within 2 to 4 weeks, in some cases to almost full function.

“We used rats as an experimental model to demonstrate how severed nerve axons can be repaired. Without our procedure, the return of nearly full function rarely comes close to happening,” said Bittner. “The sciatic nerve controls all muscle movement of the leg of all mammals and this new approach to repairing nerve axons could almost-certainly be just as successful in humans.”

To explore the long term implications and medical uses of this procedure, MD’s and other scientist- collaborators at Harvard Medical School and Vanderbilt Medical School and Hospitals are conducting studies to obtain approval to begin clinical trials.

“We believe this procedure could produce a transformational change in the way nerve injuries are repaired,” concluded Bittner.

Source for Story:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/w-npr020112.php

eczema and asthma varied throughout the country. As well as finding a link between latitude and allergies to peanut and egg, the results showed that on average children in the south of the country are twice as likely to develop eczema as those in the north.vitamin D,

The report builds upon existing evidence that suggests exposure to the sun may play a role in rising levels of food allergy and eczema. Sunlight is important because it provides our body with the fuel to create vitamin D in the skin, and locations closer to the equator typically receive higher levels of sunshine. Australia is a particularly good place for this type of study as it spans nearly 3000 miles from north to south, with a large variation in climate, day length and sun strength – from Queensland in the north to Tasmania in the south.

Dr Nick Osborne, who led the research, believes these findings provide us with an important insight into the prevalence of food allergies and eczema, which appear to be on the increase. Dr Osborne also cautioned that exposure to sunlight can vary for a host of reasons beyond latitude, such as local climate variations and behaviours, and these factors will also need to be considered.

He said “This investigation has further underlined the association between food allergies, eczema and where you live. We’re now hoping to study these effects at a much finer scale and examine which factors such as temperature, infectious disease or vitamin D are the main drivers of this relationship. As always, care has to be taken we are not exposed to too much sunlight, increasing the risk of skin cancer.”

###

Dr Osborne will be presenting the findings of the study at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology in Orlando on March 6th 2012.

The study is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology this week.

Source for Story:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/tpco-llo020312.php

may irritate the gallbladder (as well as being high in cholesterol).

2. Eat foods high in B-vitamins and iron, such as whole grains, dark leafy greens and sea vegetables.

3. Eat antioxidant foods, including fruits (such as blueberries, cherries, and tomatoes), and vegetables (such as squash and bell peppers).

4. Avoid refined foods, such as white breads, pastas, and sugar.

5. Eat fewer red meats and eat more lean meats, cold water fish, tofu or beans for protein.

6. Eat more fiber. Consider fiber supplements, such as flaxmeal (one tsp. one to three times per day). Combine one heaping tsp. of flaxmeal in eight ounces of apple juice for a drink high in fiber and pectin.

7. Use healthy cooking oils, such as olive oil or vegetable oil.

8. Reduce or eliminate trans fatty acids, found in commercially baked goods such as cookies, crackers, cakes, French fries, onion rings, donuts, processed foods, and margarine.

9. Avoid alcohol, and tobacco. Some evidence suggests that people who drink caffeinated coffee have a lower risk of gallstones, though study results are mixed. Talk to your doctor before increasing your caffeine intake, as caffeine can affect several conditions and interact with medications.

10. If possible, exercise lightly five days a week.

Source for Story:

doctorshealthpress@lombardipublishing.com

the device opened blocked vessels without causing symptomatic bleeding in or around the brain in 61 percent of patients. The standard Food and Drug Administration–approved mechanical device — a corkscrew-type clot remover called the MERCI Retriever — was effective in 24 percent of cases.

The use of the new device also led to better survival three months after a stroke. There was a 17.2 percent mortality rate with the new device, compared with a 38.2 percent rate with the older one.

“This new device heralds a new era in acute stroke care,” said Saver, the study’s lead author and a professor of neurology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. “We are going from our first generation of clot-removing procedures, which were only moderately good in reopening target arteries, to now having a highly effective tool. This really is a game-changing result.”

About 87 percent of all strokes are caused by blood clots blocking a blood vessel supplying the brain. The stroke treatment that has received the most study is the FDA–approved clot- busting drug known as tissue plasminogen activator, but this drug must be given within four-and-a-half hours after the onset of stroke symptoms, and even more quickly in older patients.

When clot-busting drugs cannot be used or are ineffective, the clot can sometimes be mechanically removed during, or beyond, the four-and-a-half–hour window. The current study, however, did not compare mechanical clot removal to drug treatment.

For the trial, called SOLITAIRE With the Intention for Thrombectomy (SWIFT), researchers randomly assigned 113 stroke patients at 18 hospitals to receive either SOLITAIRE or MERCI therapy within eight hours of stroke onset, between January 2010 and February 2011. The patients’ average age was 67, and 68 percent were male. The time from the beginning of stroke symptoms to the start of the clot-retriever treatment averaged 5.1 hours. Forty percent of the patients had not improved with standard clot-busting medication prior to the study, while the remainder had not received it.

At the suggestion of a safety monitoring committee, the trial was ended nearly a year earlier than planned due to significantly better outcomes with the experimental device.

Other statistically significant findings included:

• 2 percent of SOLITAIRE-treated patients had symptoms of bleeding in the brain, compared with 11 percent of MERCI patients. At the 90-day follow-up, overall adverse event rates, including bleeding in the brain, were similar for the two devices.
• 58 percent of SOLITAIRE-treated patients had good mental/motor functioning at 90 days, compared with 33 percent of MERCI patients.
• The SOLITARE device also opened more vessels when used as the first treatment approach, necessitating fewer subsequent attempts with other devices or drugs.

“Nearly a decade ago, our UCLA Stroke Center team invented the first stroke retrieval device — the MERCI Retriever — and now we are pleased to have helped develop and successfully test a superior, next-generation clot removing device,” said Dr. Reza Jahan, associate professor of radiology at UCLA and the study’s principal neurointerventional investigator, who also led the pre-clinical studies. “It is exciting to have a highly effective new tool that can improve the outcomes for more stroke patients.”

Source for Story:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/uoc–ndr020312.php

wanted to see about hearing differences among patients with well-controlled diabetes, poorly controlled diabetes, and those who do not have diabetes. They looked at records for 990 patients between 2000 and 2008. Patients were categorized by gender, age, and whether they had diabetes. For what may be the first time, they studied blood glucose levels and compared them to levels of hearing loss.

Women between 60 and 75 with poorly controlled diabetes had significantly worse hearing than those whose diabetes was well-controlled and the control group. For women under 60 with diabetes, they had worse hearing than healthy controls regardless of how well their condition was controlled.

About 26 million Americans have diabetes. Another 34.5 million have some degree of hearing loss. Signs of hearing loss include difficulty hearing background noises or hearing conversations in large groups, as well as regularly needing to turn up the volume on a radio or TV.

The key is to control diabetes if you have it. Some quick tips: eat healthy foods and maintaining a healthy weight. If you are overweight, dropping just five percent of your weight will make a big difference in blood sugar control. Fill yourself on fruits, vegetables, legumes and whole grains while limiting saturated fat intake. Be sure to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. This will also better control the condition. Also, drink alcohol only in moderation, try to get sound sleeps, and take serious measures to combat stress if you suffer it.

Source for Story:

doctorshealthpress@lombardipublishing.com

Potatoes should be stored outside the refrigerator in a cool, dark place. Before frying, they should be sliced, soaked in water for 15-30 minutes, then patted dry. They should be fried at lower temperatures for less time, until they are golden yellow — not brown.

Commercial food producers sometimes use the same frying oil for weeks at a time, saturating the oils with extremely high acrylamide levels.

Importantly, even though it’s found in the food, acrylamide does not have to be listed on any food labels.

Source: 25 Amazing (and Weird) Facts about How Food is Made and Where it Comes From, authored by Mike Adams and David Guiterrez. This report reveals shocking but true things that will blow your mind about how food is actually made. Click here to download the full report (FREE) (PDF Adobe Acrobat, non-DRM), and you’ll learn about weird food ingredients, food manufacturing processes and bizarre food sources. FREE report from NaturalNews.com.

Additional sources:
http://www.fda.gov/Food/FoodSafety/FoodContaminantsAdulteration/Chemi…

Source for Story:

http://www.naturalnews.com/034833_acrylamide_French_fries_fried_foods.html

it is not asking people who already purchased bottles from the lot to return them.

The J&J recall announcement specifically states that the recall “is not being undertaken on the basis of adverse events and the potential for adverse health events is remote,” but rather out of “an abundance of caution.” Concerned individuals that already purchased lotion from the lot in question are free to contact the company for a refund at (877) 298-2525 if they choose to do so (http://www.aveeno.com/babycare/product-home).

J&J insists that even the recalled lotions are safe, and also claims that coagulase-negative staphylococci is a common and generally harmless pathogen. However, a 1999 study published in the journal Annual Review of Medicine explains that coagulase-negative staphylococci is highly transmissible, particularly in hospitals, and can cause central nervous system infections, native or prosthetic valve endocarditis, urinary tract infections, and endophthalmitis (http://www.annualreviews.org/doi/abs/10.1146/annurev.med.50.1.223).

Throughout the past year and a half, J&J recalled at least 12 different consumer products manufactured by McNeil Consumer Healthcare. These products included Children’s Benadryl Allergy Fastmelt Tablets, Tylenol 8 Hour, Motrin IB, Sudafed 24 Hour, Rolaids, and Tylenol Cold Liquid products (http://www.mcneilproductrecall.com/page.jhtml?id=/include/news.inc).

Meanwhile, two longtime executives at J&J will be retiring in March, according to The Washington Post. Patrick Mutchler, group chairman for over-the-counter drugs, nutritionals and wellness and prevention products, and Pericles Stamatiades, head of global strategy for consumer products, will be departing after having worked at the company for 35 years and 28 years, respectively (http://www.washingtonpost.com).

Source for Story:

http://www.naturalnews.com/034846_Johnson_&_baby_lotion_bacteria.html#ixzz1lFkoUg1m

The report claims the technology is for contraceptive purposes only and not for causing sterility. However, Dr. James Tsuruta, who led the research, told reporters that it is unclear whether or not the technology can cause long-term damage, and that more research is needed to determine whether or not repeated ultrasounds cause permanent damage.

The Gates Foundation awarded 78 different research projects with $100,000 grants each as part of its “Grand Challenges in Global Health Program.” Ten of these projects specifically addressed new technologies for contraception, according to TIME, including one for a pill that inhibits the growth and maturation of sperm, and another for creating chemical compounds that prevent sperm from reaching the egg (http://healthland.time.com/2010/05/14/male-birth-control-stopping-sperm-with-ultrasound/).

“We think this could provide men with up to six months of reliable, low-cost, non-hormonal contraception from a single round of treatment,” wrote the researchers in their report. “Our long-term goal is to use ultrasound … as an inexpensive, long-term, reversible male contraceptive suitable for use in developing to first world countries.”

Back in 2010, Bill Gates explained to attendees at the TED Conference that year his ideas for culling the world population, one of which involved increasing vaccination rates (http://www.naturalnews.com/029911_vaccines_Bill_Gates.html). Now, his organization is actively funding research into advanced contraceptive methods that could render individuals infertile. Coincidence?

Source for Story: http://www.naturalnews.com/034834_Bill_Gates_sperm_infertility.html#ixzz1lFhMq0aNF

The steady increase in rates of diabetes, obesity, and metabolic syndrome over the past 20 years has given rise to greater prevalence of NAFLD. In fact, experts now believe NAFLD is the leading cause of chronic liver disease in the U.S., surpassing both hepatitis B and C. The majority of patients will have isolated fatty liver which has a very low likelihood of developing progressive liver disease. However, a subset of patients will have NASH, which is characterized by inflammation of the liver, destruction of liver cells, and possibly scarring of the liver. Progression to cirrhosis (advanced scarring of the liver) may occur in about 10-11% of NASH patients over a 15 year period, although this is highly variable.

To enhance understanding of the correlation between coffee consumption and the prevalence and severity of NAFLD, a team led by Dr. Stephen Harrison, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam Houston, Texas surveyed participants from a previous NAFLD study as well as NASH patients treated at the center’s hepatology clinic. The 306 participants were asked about caffeine coffee consumption and categorized into four groups: patients with no sign of fibrosis on ultrasound (control), steatosis, NASH stage 0-1, and NASH stage 2-4.

Researchers found that the average milligrams in total caffeine consumption per day in the control, steatosis, Nash 0-1, and Nash 2-4 groups was 307, 229, 351 and 252; average milligrams of coffee intake per day was 228, 160, 255, and 152, respectively. There was a significant difference in caffeine consumption between patients in the steatosis group compared to those with NASH stage 0-1. Coffee consumption was significantly greater for patients with NASH stage 0-1, with 58% of caffeine intake from regular coffee, than with NASH stage 2-4 patients at only 36% of caffeine consumption from regular coffee.

Multiple analyses showed a negative correlation between coffee consumption and risk of hepatic fibrosis. “Our study is the first to demonstrate a histopatholgic relationship between fatty liver disease and estimated coffee intake,” concludes Dr. Harrison. “Patients with NASH may benefit from moderate coffee consumption that decreases risk of advanced fibrosis. Further prospective research should examine the amount of coffee intake on clinical outcomes.”

Source for Story:

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/w-ccr020212.php

Together with the Down syndrome pregnancies reported earlier, 286 trisomic pregnancies and 1,702 normal pregnancies are included in the report.

The research was led by Glenn Palomaki, PhD, and Jacob Canick, PhD, of the Division of Medical Screening and Special Testing in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and included scientists at Sequenom Inc. and Sequenom Center for Molecular Medicine, San Diego, CA, and an independent academic laboratory at the University of California at Los Angeles.

The test identified 100% (59/59) of the trisomy 18 and 91.7% (11/12) of the trisomy 13 pregnancies.The associated false positive rates were 0.28 and 0.97%, respectively.Overall, testing failed to provide a clinical interpretation in 17 women (0.9%); three of these women had a trisomy 18 pregnancy.By slightly raising the definition of a positive test for chromosome 18 and 13, the detection rate remained constant, but the false positive rate could be as low as 0.1%.These findings, along with the detailed information learned from testing such a large number of samples, demonstrate that the new test will be highly effective when offered to women considering invasive testing.

“Our previous work demonstrated the ability to identify Down syndrome, the most common trisomy.These new data extend the finding to the next two most common trisomies and will allow for wider use of such testing with the ability to identify all three common trisomies,” said Dr. Palomaki.”The new DNA test can now also be offered to women identified as being as high risk for trisomy 18 or trisomy 13, as well those at high risk for Down syndrome.”

“This highly sensitive and specific DNA test has the potential to impact on couples’ decision-making,” says Dr. Canick.”A woman whose pregnancy was identified as high risk who earlier would have chosen not to have invasive diagnostic testing, might now consider the DNA test as a safe way to obtain further information, before making a final decision.”The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated in 1995 that about one in every 200 invasive diagnostic procedures will cause a pregnancy miscarriage.

Trisomy 18, also called Edwards syndrome, is a serious disorder with up to 70% of first trimester affected fetuses being spontaneously lost during pregnancies.Among those born alive, half die within a week with only 5% surviving the first year.All have serious medical and developmental problems.About 1,330 infants with trisomy 18 would be born in the US each year in the absence of prenatal diagnosis.Trisomy 13, also called Patau syndrome, is less common but equally serious.About 600 infants with trisomy 13 would be born in the US each year in the absence of prenatal diagnosis.Like Down syndrome, trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 are more common as maternal age increases.For comparison, about 7,730 Down syndrome cases would be born each year in the absence of prenatal diagnosis.Current prenatal screening tests for trisomy 18 and trisomy 13 rely on both biochemical and ultrasound markers.For more information visit the US National Library of Medicine PubMed Health.

This industry-sponsored project, awarded to Drs. Palomaki and Canick and Women & Infants Hospital in 2008, enrolled 4,500 women at 27 prenatal diagnostic centers throughout the world.Women & Infants also served as one of the enrollment centers under the direction of maternal-fetal medicine specialist and director of Perinatal Genetics, Barbara O’Brien, MD.

“It is clinically more relevant that all three trisomies can be detected by this test,” said Dr. O’Brien.”Having access to such a comprehensive, DNA-based test that can be done early in pregnancy will give us more information so that we can better guide which patients should consider diagnostic testing.”

Women & Infants Hospital has been an international center for prenatal screening research. For more than three decades, Drs. Palomaki and Canick have collaborated with others in developing and improving screening tests for Down syndrome and other fetal abnormalities.In 1988, Drs. Palomaki and Canick were involved in the development of triple marker screening. The team was able to convert its findings into prenatal screening tests now used throughout the world.Dr. Canick’s lab in 1998 was the first in the US to offer quad marker screening and in the past decade was the laboratory center for the NIH-funded FASTER Trial which compared first and second trimester screening.

About Women & Infants Hospital

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation’s leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns.A U.S.News Best Hospital in Gynecology and Best Children’s Hospital in Neonatology, Women & Infants was ranked number one in the Providence metro area and a top-performer in cancer, and has achieved a 5-star rating in Maternity Care for 2011 from HealthGrades.The primary teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine, Women & Infants is the seventh largest obstetrical service in the country with more than 8,500 deliveries per year.In 2009, Women & Infants opened the country’s largest, single-family room neonatal intensive care unit.

New England’s premier hospital for women and newborns, Women & Infants and Brown offer fellowship programs in gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery, neonatal-perinatal medicine, pediatric and perinatal pathology, gynecologic pathology and cytopathology, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility.It is home to the nation’s only mother-baby perinatal psychiatric partial hospital, as well as the nation’s only fellowship program in obstetric medicine.

Women & Infants has been designated as a Breast Center of Excellence from the American College of Radiography; a Center for In Vitro Maturation Excellence by SAGE In Vitro Fertilization; a Center of Biomedical Research Excellence by the National Institutes of Health; and a Neonatal Resource Services Center of Excellence.It is one of the largest and most prestigious research facilities in high risk and normal obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics in the nation, and is a member of the National Cancer Institute’s Gynecologic Oncology Group.

About Brown University

Founded in 1764 and a member of the Ivy League, Brown University is globally acclaimed for its culture of independent thinking and academic excellence. For decades, Brown faculty and students have pursued multidisciplinary research in areas such as brain science, digital humanities, nanoscience, and population studies. Since 2002, under a strategic plan, Brown has invested significantly in research, resulting in a 65 percent gain in external research awards, a 33 percent increase in graduate enrollment, and a rise in total faculty of 16 percent.

Source for Story:

http://www.womenandinfants.org/news/Research-Published-in-Genetics-in-Medicine.cfm

A recent study by researchers at University of Massachusetts (Amherst), published in Journal of Neuroscience, found that sleeping soon after a traumatic event locks in bad memories and emotions. This is an important concept; extended time spent in a poor emotional state is not healthy. Too much sadness can lead to depression. Too much crying impacts the lungs, which help regulate oxygen in the body. Wallowing in bad memories and reflecting on hard or emotional times brings those moments into the present and makes you live them all over again. It also impairs your feelings, your emotions and your energy in the present. Repeatedly reliving negative experiences is virtually the same as having those experiences again and again in the present. Negative memories and emotions trigger one another and set the body into a frequency of unhealthy energy.

The Real Thing

The Amherst researchers found that you don’t even have to experience an actual, negative event to suffer. Merely seeing troubling images in your mind is enough to cause lasting emotional trauma, if you sleep on it. The team conducted the study by showing unsettling images to more than 100 people and asked for their immediate responses. The initial image responses were matched against responses to the very same images 12 hours later. To test whether sleep locks in the turbulent emotions triggered by these types of pictures, half of the respondents slept during the 12-hour break and the other half did not.

The respondents who slept after exposure to unsettling images had a similar strong reaction to them on their second viewing 12 hours later. University of Massachusetts neuroscientist Rebecca Spencer, one of the study’s co-authors said, “Not only did sleep protect the memory, but it also protected the emotional state.” In other words, the strength of the unpleasant emotional reaction, the feelings associated with it and the thoughts about it were kept intact and unaltered when respondents went to sleep with the unsettling images fresh in their mind. In fact, some of the respondents stated that their negative emotions were amplified and even worse on second viewing.

Don’t Close Your Eyes

The respondents who did not sleep were better off, in this case, because their reaction to the images the second time was less severe than when first seeing them. What’s even more interesting: Those respondents who did not sleep in some cases were able to so effectively put the memory of the images out of their minds that they found it difficult to even remember whether they had seen some of the images previously.

The lesson here is that when something traumatic happens, even if it is virtual (such as fears or emotions from watching a movie), it is best to stay awake and not sleep it off. According to Spenser, “This study suggests the biological response we have after trauma might actually be healthy. Perhaps letting people go through a period of insomnia before feeding them sleeping meds is actually beneficial.” It’s beneficial for the short term because the body does need sleep to repair — especially after a traumatic incident. Therefore, it is best to try to find perspective and reframe the way you see the event before sleeping.

Good Vibrations

For unreal events, like emotions brought up in reaction to a movie or book where bad things happen to good people, finding perspective is much easier. We know these events are not real, but the study suggests that falling asleep soon after reacting to unsettling images (pictures, thoughts, visual projections) worsens their effects. By holding on to these emotions and feelings, we are changing our mood, brain chemistry and patterns of thinking about ourselves and the world. This alters our vibration and our energy, and can lead us down a dark path of self-pity, self-doubt, fear and low self-confidence. In these circumstances, which are more frequent than real-life events, switching thoughts to a focus on something more pleasant before bed may help. Read or watch something funny, remember someone you love, think of your hobby or of an upcoming event you are excited about. Changing your thoughts can change your vibrations and alter what you lock in to give it higher positive energy and good vibrations.

When it comes to real-life emotional or psychological trauma, it is hard to change our emotions or thoughts before we fall asleep. Yet, it is necessary, especially if one hopes to overcome the event rapidly. In this connection, consider a technique known as reframing that is utilized in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP). Basically, this simple technique helps you change the way you perceive traumatic or unsettling situations and make them less so.

This consists of three steps:

Step 1 – Identify the Problem. Try to determine the root of the upsetting situation. This means asking the questions how, what, where, why and when your problem arose. I wrote another article on how to ask “why” to get to the root of a problem. Once you can identify the why, you can move on to Step 2.

Step 2 – Align Intention with Behavior. You must grasp the necessity of aligning your actions with true, internal intentions. For instance, if your intention is to be healthy and lose weight, then understanding that you must change certain behaviors to reach that goal is crucial. Simply being upset because somebody pointed out you are overweight is not sufficient if you don’t bring your behavior into line. If this is an issue, there is work to do and you have to engage with the actions described in Step 3.

Step 3 – Setting the Way Forward. Deciding that a change is necessary is so vital because it creates motivation to change. Yes, finding out you have diabetes or arthritis or being called fat is emotionally upsetting. But obsessing over it or being mad at everyone else or even yourself doesn’t change the situation. And if you sleep while feeling these negative emotions, they amplify themselves and keep you in a negative emotional loop. So, decide to make a change for the better, think about all the wonderful things that can occur once that change is in play and you can raise your emotional state, your energy and vibration. Then, when you sleep, that new pattern of optimistic change will be locked in to your body.

Reframing

These reframing steps are simple yet powerful. I do realize that in times of life-threatening events, it may be near impossible to put it them into practice. In this case, therapy and other behavioral changing therapies can be helpful. The important thing, based on the findings of this study, is that you have to make an effort to feel better before falling asleep.

And who doesn’t want to feel good? For most of our evenings, major trauma is not a problem. So go ahead and find ways to be happy or at least content and centered before drifting off to sleep and lock in those good feelings. They help your mind and emotions carry you forward to changing your quality of life.

Source for Story:

http://www.easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/dont-sleep-on-negative-feelings-and-emotions/

Source for Story:

http://www.easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/staying-fit-and-healthy-keeps-your-sex-life-alive/

One study found that women who took 20 grams before a meal wound up with a lower fat intake and a greater feeling of fullness.

3. Chromium: While this mineral is heavily promoted for diabetes, studies overall don’t link it to being much of a help with body weight. In 2010, a study found that 1,000 micrograms of chromium picolinate did not affect weight loss in a sample of overweight adults. 4. 5-HTP: 5-hydroxytryptophan (its full name) has proven in a few small trials to help people shed pounds and control appetite. One found that overweight women taking 5-HTP for three months dropped more pounds than women on placebo.

5. Chitosan: This one, derived from shells, has mixed results. One good study found that those taking chitosan lost more than two pounds, while those taking placebo gained more than three pounds.

6. Vitamin C: Two studies found that vitamin-C supplements might help fight obesity. Many believe that upping vitamin-C intake could help significantly overweight people.

7. Glucomannan: This type of fiber has shown benefits for reducing body weight. For example, a trial conducted on 20 overweight people found that glucomannan led to significant improvements in two months.

8. Hydroxycitric acid: This one is interesting and has some positive results. One good study found that, over two months, 440 milligrams three times a day produced significant benefits for 60 overweight people. Another found that, compared to 30 minutes of walking five days a week, 2,800 mg of HCA before meals reduced body weight by 5.4% in two months.

9. Green Tea: This drink’s “thermogenic” effect may be of value in managing obesity. In a study, men who took six green tea pills were able to use up far more energy and burned more fat than those taking caffeine pills or placebo.

Source for Story:

doctorshealthpress@lombardipublishing.com

while an excellent measurement of compressive strength, does not reveal tensile strength, i.e. whether or not your bone will resist breaking from being pulled or stretched, as commonly occurs in a fall or similar trauma.

Moreover, “osteoporosis,” as presently defined by bone scans (DXA scan) using the T-score, inappropriately defines “normal bone density” according to the standard of a 25-year old, young adult.

In other words, if you are 40, 50, or even 100, the T-score-based system says your bones are not normal, or even diseased if they are not as dense as they were when you were a young adult.

If in fact they used the age-appropriate Z-score, most cases of “osteopenia,” and many cases of “osteoporosis,” would suddenly disappear because they were inappropriately classified from the start.

Do Calcium Supplements Predispose You to Breast Cancer?

Ultimately, the “calcium is good for your bones” mantra is yet another example of a good theory gone wrong, and represents how broadly deluded the mainstream medical community is about bone health and the nature of osteoporosis, and its highly fabricated twin condition “osteopenia.”

There are actually a number of studies indicating that mass market calcium supplements increase your risk for cardiovascular incidents and other problems, while offering little benefit to your bones. Only because something can increase your bone density: eating what amounts to chalk or pulverized bone meal, or worse, chemicals like the drugs Fosamax and Evista, does not mean this will translate into improved health for your bones, or any of your other organ systems.

Indeed, before jumping off the lemming-like cliff of conventional medical wisdom, consider there is a solid body of research indicating that higher bone density may actually increase the risk of malignant breast cancer by 300% or more! Considering that close to 1 in 4 women will be diagnosed with cancer in their lives, with breast cancer top on the list, isn’t the neurotic fixation on increasing bone density with calcium supplements misplaced, especially when it may increase the overall risk of dying from cancer and, as we will see, cardiovascular disease (the #1 killer), as well?

Taking Calcium Might Increase Your Heart Attack Risk

Heart attacks may be caused by supplemental calcium from elemental sources, which include limestone, oyster shell, and bone meal, according to two meta-analyses of available research (a meta-analysis is a review and summary of the results of many clinical studies on the same subject).

The first, conducted in 2010 and involving over 8,000 people, showed that taking this kind of inorganic calcium supplement in amounts of 500 mg or more would increase your relative risk of heart attack by 27 percent.

Critics of the study pointed out that it only looked at calcium supplementation without vitamin D administered at the same time (vitamin D helps you absorb and utilize calcium). However, the second analysis showed that even when co-administered with vitamin D, elemental calcium still increased heart attack risk by 24 percent, with researchers concluding:

“Calcium supplements with or without vitamin D modestly increase the risk of cardiovascular events, especially myocardial infarction … A reassessment of the role of calcium supplements in osteoporosis management is warranted.”

In fact, the second analysis was even more disturbing, as it found the calcium supplementation (in addition to vitamin D) increased the composite risk of heart attack and stroke by15%!

Calcium Can be Beneficial or Deadly Depending on Where it Ends Up in Your Body

Calcium is the most abundant mineral in your body, necessary for not only bone health but also regulating your heartbeat, conducting nerve impulses, clotting blood and stimulating hormone secretions. Your body does not make calcium, and in fact loses calcium daily through your skin, nails, hair, sweat and elimination, which is why you must replace it via your diet.

It has been estimated, however, that your body excretes as little as 100 mg a day, making the current recommendations by the National Osteoporosis Foundation for women over 50 to take 1200 mg a day, a bit troubling.  When we compare our calcium-rich diet to the traditional calcium-poor Chinese peasant diet, which was free of cow’s milk and calcium supplements, approximately 250 mg a day of plant-based calcium was all that was needed to fulfill their bodily needs – and this is a culture with no word for “osteoporosis” in its 3,000+ year old language!

Due to the fact that about 99 percent of your body’s calcium is stored in your bones and teeth, if you don’t get enough calcium, your body will take calcium from your bones to perform necessary functions. This is where the idea that supplementing with calcium could prevent calcium loss from your bones comes from — but it is an overly simplified theory that lacks solid evidence to back it up, especially in Western, modernized cultures which consume unprecedentedly large amounts of dairy-derived, fortification-based and supplemental calcium.

For instance, one 2010 article presented evidence for a total lack of support in the research for calcium supplements reducing fracture risk!

Moreover, in the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study, a review tracking 78,000 nurses for 12 years found that the relative risk of hip fracture was 45% higher in those women who drank two or more glasses of milk per day versus those who drank one glass or less. Indeed, in countries where both dairy consumption and overall calcium levels in the diet are the lowest, bone fracture rates are also the lowest; conversely, in cultures like the United States where calcium consumption is among the highest in the world, so too are the fracture rates among the highest (see: The China Study).

The truth is that taking any calcium in excess or isolation, without complementary nutrients like magnesium, vitamin D and vitamin K2, which help keep your body in balance, can have adverse effects, such as calcium building up in coronary arteries and causing heart attacks. Even taking calcium with vitamin D does not appear to be enough to prevent these types of adverse effects.

So when you take a biologically foreign form of calcium (such as limestone, oyster shell, egg shell and bone meal (hydroxylapatite), or when your body’s ability to direct calcium to the right places becomes impaired (as when you are deficient in vitamin K2), calcium may be deposited where it shouldn’t be, which can lead to multiple health problems.

Often, much of the burden of removing the excess calcium falls on the kidneys, which is why it has been proven on numerous occasions that calcium carbonate rapidly calcifies arteries in those with compromised kidney function, especially hemodialysis patients.  Calcium deposits are, in fact, major contributors and even causative factors in many conditions, including the following:

Cellulite and scar tissue	Coronary artery disease and atherosclerosis	Dental plaque and gum disease	Hypothyroidism
Obesity and diabetes	Alzheimer’s disease	Breast cancer and cysts (fibrocystic breasts)	Gallstones, colon cancer and Crohn’s disease
Kidney stones	Ovarian cysts	Cataracts, glaucoma, and macular degeneration	Bone spurs, stiff joints, osteoarthritis, tendonitis and bone cancer

Too Much Calcium May Create Mineral Deficiencies that Promote Disease

Robert Thompson, M.D. wrote a book on this subject called The Calcium Lie, which explains that bone is comprised of at least a dozen minerals, and the exclusive focus on calcium supplementation is likely to worsen bone density and actually increase your risk for osteoporosis. Dr. Thompson believes overconsumption of calcium creates other mineral deficiencies and imbalances that will increase your risk of heart disease, kidney stones, gallstones, osteoarthritis, hypothyroidism, obesity and type 2 diabetes.

If your calcium supplement is being turned into “little rocks” that are being deposited in your soft tissues and arteries, you can begin to understand how this could be increasing your risk for a heart attack, stroke or other health condition.

Many believe that arterial plaque is simply a buildup of cholesterol. But in reality, more than 90 percent of these fatty plaques are calcified. Cholesterol is soft and waxy and does not impair the elasticity of your arteries. But calcium deposits are like concrete, “hardening” your arteries and impairing their ability to expand. It is calcium — not cholesterol — that induces arterial stiffness and makes the plaque less stable and more prone to chipping off and subsequently inducing a life-threatening clot.

This is particularly important for postmenopausal women because hormone balance is necessary for proper calcium signaling — directing your body to deposit calcium into your bones. When hormones fall out of balance, this signaling causes calcium to slowly exit your bones and become deposited in your arteries instead. Simply taking a calcium supplement will not solve the problem because if your body cannot direct the calcium to the right spot, it will cause far more harm than good.

Why Vitamin K2 is Crucial if You Take Vitamin D and Calcium …

Vitamin K2 engages in a delicate dance with vitamin D; whereas vitamin D provides improved bone development by helping you absorb calcium, there is new evidence that vitamin K2 directs the calcium to your skeleton, while preventing it from being deposited where you don’t want it — i.e., your organs, joint spaces, and arteries. As mentioned, a large part of arterial plaque consists of calcium deposits (atherosclerosis), hence the term “hardening of the arteries.”

Vitamin K2 has also actually been found to decalcify certain tissues undergoing pathological (also known as ectopic) calcification.

Vitamin K2 activates a protein hormone called osteocalcin, produced by osteoblasts, which is needed to bind calcium into the matrix of your bone. Osteocalcin also appears to help prevent calcium from depositing into your arteries. In other words, without the help of vitamin K2, the calcium that your vitamin D so effectively lets in might be working AGAINST you — by building up your coronary arteries rather than your bones. This is why if you take calcium and vitamin D but are deficient in vitamin K, you could be worse off than if you were not taking those supplements at all.

Food is the Best Source of Calcium

In order for calcium to do your body good, it must be in a bio available form and balanced out with vitamins D and K and other important trace minerals, as part of a total nutritional plan.

It’s more likely your body can use calcium correctly if it’s food-based calcium. Good sources include raw milk and cheese from pasture-raised cows (who eat the plants), leafy green vegetables, the pith of citrus fruits, carob, sesame seeds and wheat-grass, to name a few. It’s worth mentioning that the studies done about calcium from dairy products are all done with pasteurized dairy, rather than raw dairy products that have more of their nutrients intact, and this muddies the results of these studies.

Calcium from dietary sources is typically better absorbed and utilized than calcium from supplements, which is why studies involving calcium from natural food sources have shown favorable results, including a 25 percent lower risk of dying from all causes, and a 23 percent lower risk of dying from heart disease.

You also need sources of silica and magnesium, which some researchers say is actually enzymatically “transmuted” by your body into the kind of calcium your bones can use. This theory was first put forth by French scientist Louis Kevran, a Nobel Prize nominee who spent years studying how silica, calcium, magnesium, and other minerals are related and transmutable into one another through low-energy nuclear transformation only found within living systems.

His theory explains how cows and chickens produce far more calcium in their milk and eggs than is found in their diet, or why, workers exposed to extremely high temperatures (130 degrees F) in the Middle East are known to consume salt tablets, which their bodies convert to potassium (as measured by their excreta), resulting in a reduction in their bodily temperature.

Good sources of bone-strengthening silica are cucumbers, bell peppers, tomatoes, and a number of herbs including horsetail, nettles, oat straw, alfalfa, and raw cacao, which is also extremely rich in highly bioavailable magnesium.

Dr. Thompson recommends the use of natural unprocessed salt as a far better alternative to calcium supplements because it provides the trace minerals you simply cannot get from food grown in today’s mineral-depleted soils. My favorite source of trace minerals is pure, unprocessed Himalayan salt, which contains 84 elements needed by your body.

The bottom line is, optimize your vitamin D levels through sun exposure and consume a variety of fresh, local organic whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, organic meats and eggs, unprocessed salt, and raw organic unpasteurized dairy, which will give you the bio available calcium your body needs along with the trace minerals and other co factors it needs to be absorbed and properly utilized by your body.

Source for Story:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/01/30/calcium-supplement-on-heart-attack.aspx?e_cid=20120130_DNL_art_1

http://www.easyhealthoptions.com/alternative-medicine/if-your-tongue-burns-it-could-be-from-gluten/

The conventional method of treatment for mastitis is a course of antibiotics. While this treatment is certainly effective in treating mastitis, taking drugs while breastfeeding is rather controversial. The medication can pass to the baby through breast milk and antibiotic-resistance can begin developing in the infant’s system unnecessarily.

So what can women do to treat mastitis naturally?

Natural Remedies For Mastitis

1) Nurse the baby.

Mastitis usually indicates that there is a plugged milk duct in the breast. There is no better way to break up that clog than to have the baby nurse frequently. Although nursing may be painful during an active infection, it is still the best remedy for mastitis. Even with a conventional treatment of antibiotics, doctors typically recommend that patients continue nursing often to expedite the process.

2) Massage the breast.

As the baby is nursing, massage the affected breast with your fingers. This will help to loosen the plugged milk duct. Massage from the outer breast towards the nipple, in the area that is infected.

3) Stuff your bra with cabbage leaves.

As unusual as it may seem, a raw cabbage leaf placed in the bra over the infection will work wonders in soothing the inflamed breast. A cool cabbage leaf acts as a cold compress to reduce inflammation. This cabbage treatment not only relieves breast tenderness, but also helps to unclog the milk duct to flush the infection.

4) Eat raw garlic.

Eating a couple of raw garlic cloves a day is a natural alternative to taking antibiotics. Garlic is nature’s own antibiotic, without the negative side effects of taking man-made medications. It is also safe to ingest while breastfeeding.

5) Take hot showers.

Taking a hot shower and letting the water hit the affected breast will help to loosen the clogged milk duct, reduce inflammation, and relieve pain.

6) Get plenty of rest.

As with any infection, the body is in overdrive working to get rid of mastitis. Getting plenty of rest is crucial in supporting your own immune system to fight the infection off as quickly as possible.

7) Take Echinacea.

The herb Echinacea is an immuno-stimulator and assists the body in fighting off infections.
Following a strict protocol using these remedies at the first sign of an inflammation can be just as effective as taking antibiotics. If mastitis still doesn’t improve after attempting a natural treatment plan, contact your health care provider promptly before the infection gets worse.

As with every medical problem, the best cure for mastitis is prevention. Nurse often to prevent milk ducts from clogging. If the baby isn’t nursing regularly enough, express your milk with a breast pump. Don’t allow an ugly infection like mastitis to ruin the beautiful mother-child bonding experience that breastfeeding has to offer. With the remedies listed in this article, you can beat mastitis naturally and develop more fond memories of breastfeeding than foul ones.

Source for Story:

http://www.naturalnews.com/034792_mastitis_breastfeeding_natural_remedies.html#ixzz1kxrhgx8O

the Grocery Manufacturers of America has estimated that as much as 80 percent of processed food on US shelves contains GM ingredients. This includes breakfast cereals and other products labeled “natural” or “all natural.” (http://www.naturalnews.com/033838_breakfast_cereals_GMOs.html)

GM crops are simply unsafe. They expose people to novel and potentially dangerous allergens and to higher levels of pesticides. Animals grazing on GM crops have died from ruptured internal organs. Yet this is the type of food making up 80 percent of packaged food today, and the only way to avoid it is to buy organic food or grow your own.

Tip: Foods labeled USDA Organic do not contain any substantial level of genetically engineered ingredients, but due to cross-contamination of crops, even organic products almost always contain trace levels of GMOs.

Source: 25 Amazing Facts About Food, authored by Mike Adams and David Guiterrez. This report reveals surprising things about where your food comes from and what’s really in it! Download the full report (FREE) by clicking here. Inside, you’ll learn 24 more amazing but true facts about foods, beverages and food ingredients. Instant download of the complete PDF. All 25 facts are documented and true.

Additional Sources:
http://www.gmo-compass.org/eng/agri_biotechnology/gmo_planting/341.ge…
http://www.organicconsumers.org/articles/article_18445.cfm
http://www.calgefree.org/facts_on_ge.html
http://www.ResponsibleTechnology.org
http://www.naturalnews.com/NoGMO.html

Source for Story:

http://www.naturalnews.com/034812_GMO_corn_soy.html#ixzz1kxm7GiqR

 

Aluminum consumption can also be associated with the development of bone disorders, including stress fractures.

Also known as tartrazine, FD&C Yellow Aluminum Lake is a chemical concoction derived from coal tar. It is known to be a reproductive toxin. All artificial colors contain Aluminum Lake, so when your child gets to pick between red, blue or green medicine, they’re really choosing which poison they get to consume. Several chemically enhanced food colorings contain ammonia and therefore produce compounds proven to cause various cancers in animal studies, according to CSPI, the Center for Science in the Public Interest. (http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm)

Most widely used food colors and their damaging actions:

• Blue #1: Research shows it causes kidney tumors in mice.

• Blue #2: Research shows even higher incidence of tumors, specifically gliomas in male rates (a type of tumor that starts in the brain or spine).

• Red #2: Toxic to rodents, even at modest levels, and causes tumors of the bladder.

• Red #3: FDA recognized it in 1990 as a cause of thyroid cancer in animals. It was banned in cosmetics, but still allowed in food and medicine.

• Red #40: Most popular dye of all. Debilitates the immune-system in mice. Allergic reactions common.

• Green #3: Causes bladder and testes tumors.

• Yellow #5: Affects behavior and induces severe hypersensitivity reactions.

• Yellow #6: Causes adrenal tumors in animals.

The following is taken directly from FDA’s Regulatory Process and Historical Perspectives: “Color additives are important components of many products, making them attractive, appealing, appetizing, and informative. Added color serves as a kind of code that allows us to identify products on sight, like candy flavors and medicine dosages.” Really?! Decoding medicine dosages on sight?

There has been a 55% increase in U.S. toxic food dyes just since the year 2000. There are over 15 million pounds of dyes put in foods, drinks, candy and medicine every year, and the FDA does nothing to protect consumers from the colorful barrage of poison. (http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/artificial-food-colors.htm)

Studies reveal that children have consumed as much as three pounds of dye by the age of twelve

Here are some popular product and “brand” names you may mistake as exempt products: RD&C dyes and colors in baked goods, beverages, candy, cereal, drugs, pet food, personal care products, cosmetics, cough syrups, NyQuil,Tylenol, Robitussin,Jello, gelatins, Cheetos, Skittles, Fruity Pebbles, Marachino cherries, sausage, Mountain Dew, Doritos, chewing gum, and powdered drink mixes.

American companies doing business in Europe currently have to change their products to natural colorings to meet European Union strict regulations. The FDA’s rationale is that because artificial food colorings are used mainly in foods and medicines of low or no nutritional value, that the American public should “already be aware” of health implications, so it doesn’t matter if other toxins are added.

What are your options as opposed to poisonous medicines? Consult a naturopath (ND) for advice on ingredients in food and medicine.

Source for  story:

http://www.naturalnews.com/034813_childrens_medicines_aluminum_pills.html#ixzz1kxgn9C6h