DIABETES FACTS

DIABETES FACTS
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that more than 180 million people worldwide have diabetes. This number is likely to more than double by 2030.
In 2005, an estimated 1.1 million people died from diabetes.1
Almost 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low and middle-income countries.
Almost half of diabetes deaths occur in people under the age of 70 years; 55% of diabetes deaths are in women.
WHO projects that diabetes deaths will increase by more than 50% in the next 10 years without urgent action. Most notably, diabetes deaths are projected to increase by over 80% in upper-middle income countries between 2006 and 2015.
WHAT ARE COMMON CONSEQUENCES OF DIABETES?
Over time, diabetes can damage the heart, blood vessels, eyes, kidneys, and nerves.
Diabetic retinopathy is an important cause of blindness, and occurs as a result of long-term accumulated damage to the small blood vessels in the retina. After 15 years of diabetes, approximately 2% of people become blind, and about 10% develop severe visual impairment.
Diabetic neuropathy is damage to the nerves as a result of diabetes, and affects up to 50% of people with diabetes. Although many different problems can occur as a result of diabetic neuropathy, common symptoms are tingling, pain, numbness, or weakness in the feet and hands.
Combined with reduced blood flow, neuropathy in the feet increases the chance of foot ulcers and eventual limb amputation.
Diabetes is among the leading causes of kidney failure. 10-20% of people with diabetes die of kidney failure.
Diabetes increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. 50% of people with diabetes die of cardiovascular disease (primarily heart disease and stroke).
The overall risk of dying among people with diabetes is at least double the risk of their peers without diabetes.
WHAT IS THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF DIABETES?
Diabetes and its complications impose significant economic consequences on individuals, families, health systems and countries.
WHO estimates that over the next 10 years (2006-2015), China will lose $ 558 billion in foregone national income due to heart disease, stroke and diabetes alone.
HOW CAN THE BURDEN OF DIABETES BE REDUCED?
Without urgent action, diabetes-related deaths will increase by more than 50% in the next 10 years.
To help prevent type 2 diabetes and its complications, people should:
Achieve and maintain healthy body weight.
Be physically active - at least 30 minutes of regular, moderate-intensity activity on most days. More activity is required for weight control.
Early diagnosis can be accomplished through relatively inexpensive blood testing.
Treatment of diabetes involves lowering blood glucose and the levels of other known risk factors that damage to blood vessels. Tobacco cessation is also important to avoid complications.
Interventions that are both cost saving and feasible in developing countries include:
Moderate blood glucose control. People with type 1 diabetes require insulin; people with type 2 diabetes can be treated with oral medication, but may also require insulin;
Blood pressure control;
Foot care.
Other cost saving interventions include:
Screening for retinopathy (which causes blindness);
Blood lipid control (to regulate cholesterol levels);
Screening for early signs of diabetes-related kidney disease.
These measures should be supported by a healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use.

Quick Statistics

Men are more likely to experience hearing loss than women.
Of adults ages 65 and older in the United States, 12.3 percent of men and nearly 14 percent of women are affected by tinnitus. Tinnitus is identified more frequently in white individuals and the prevalence of tinnitus is almost twice as frequent in the South as in the Northeast.
Approximately 17 percent (36 million) of American adults report some degree of hearing loss.
There is a strong relationship between age and reported hearing loss: 18 percent of American adults 45-64 years old, 30 percent of adults 65-74 years old, and 47 percent of adults 75 years old or older have a hearing impairment.
About 2 to 3 out of every 1,000 children in the United States are born deaf or hard-of-hearing. Nine out of every 10 children who are born deaf are born to parents who can hear.
The NIDCD estimates that approximately 15 percent (26 million) of Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have high frequency hearing loss due to exposure to loud sounds or noise at work or in leisure activities.
Only 1 out of 5 people who could benefit from a hearing aid actually wears one.
Three out of 4 children experience ear infection (otitis media) by the time they are 3 years old.
Roughly 25 million Americans have experienced tinnitus.
More than 112,000 people worldwide have received cochlear implants. In the United States, roughly 23,000 adults and 15,500 children have received them.
Approximately 4,000 new cases of sudden deafness occur each year in the United States. Hearing loss affects only 1 ear in 9 out of 10 people who experience sudden deafness. Only 10 to 15 percent of patients with sudden deafness know what caused their loss.
Approximately 615,000 individuals have been diagnosed with Ménière's disease in the United States. Another 45,500 are newly diagnosed each year.
Approximately 3 to 6 percent of all deaf children and perhaps another 3 to 6 percent of hard-of-hearing children have Usher syndrome. In developed countries such as the United States, about 4 babies in every 100,000 births have Usher syndrome.
One out of every 100,000 individuals per year develops an acoustic neurinoma (vestibular schwannoma).

Compiled by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD).

ADHD Statistics

Number of children 3-17 years of age ever diagnosed with ADHD: 4.5 million
Percent of children 3-17 years of age ever diagnosed with ADHD: 7.2%
Percent of boys 3-17 years of age ever diagnosed with ADHD: 10%
Percent of girls 3-17 years of age ever diagnosed with ADHD 4.3%
Source: Summary Health Statistics for U.S. Children: National Health Interview Survey, 2007, Appendix III, Table VI

How Bad are Plastic Water Bottles for Your Health, Really?

In 2008, Americans drank nearly 9 billion gallons of bottled water, which is second only to soft drinks as the largest beverage type in the U.S. market, according to the Beverage Marketing Corporation.
In the first study of its kind, researchers determined just how much BPA you absorb when you drink bottled water.
Its popularity has been growing strong since 2000, with significant sales growth noted every year of the decade … that is until now. In 2008, the gallons of bottled water consumption went down by 1 percent, for the first time this decade. And whereas in 2007 Americans drank 29 gallons of bottled water each, in 2008 that went down to 28.5 gallons. It’s a small decrease, but perhaps a sign of larger changes to come.
What are You Really Drinking When You Drink Bottled Water?
Plastic water bottles have come under scrutiny in recent years for both their environmental and health effects, including those surrounding the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA).
That BPA can leach out of plastic during everyday use, causing health problems, is hardly news. It’s now widely known that BPA mimics the female hormone estrogen and may affect fertility and promote cancer. And just last year it came out that BPA may also lead to heart disease, diabetes and liver problems.
Studies have shown that detectable levels of BPA exist in more than 90 percent of the U.S. population, but exposure has been blamed on not only drinking water and food, but also on dental sealants, dermal exposure and inhalation of household dusts.
Which leads one to wonder, just how much BPA are we exposed to when drinking from a plastic bottle? And how great are the health risks, really?
Well, a new study from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) found out.
The researchers recruited Harvard College students for the study in April 2008, and all 77 participants then began a seven-day “washout” during which they drank all cold beverages from stainless steel bottles in order to minimize BPA exposure. For the next week, participants were given two polycarbonate bottles and asked to drink all cold beverages from them.
Urine samples were taken at the end of each week-long period, and the results that came back were shocking: levels of BPA rose 69 percent after just one week of drinking out of plastic bottles.
"We found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds. If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher. This would be of concern since infants may be particularly susceptible to BPA's endocrine-disrupting potential," said Karin B. Michels, associate professor of epidemiology at HSPH and Harvard Medical School and senior author of the study.
While previous studies have found that BPA could leach from polycarbonate bottles into their contents, this study is the first to show the corresponding increase in BPA levels in humans.
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The end result is this: if you drink out of plastic water bottles, you can pretty much guarantee that you’re increasing your levels of BPA, which is very risky for your health.
Why You Do NOT Want to Drink Out of BPA-Containing Plastic Bottles
Chronic exposure to very low levels of BPA, such as might occur when drinking bottled water, is potentially very harmful.
"An expert panel of scientists has concluded that exposure to extremely low doses of bisphenol A is strongly linked to diseases such as breast cancer, prostate cancer, and diabetes, and to reproductive and neurological development," the Sierra Club reported.
And single-serve bottles are not the only ones to be concerned about. Consumer Reports found in 2000 that eight of 10 5-gallon water jugs they tested contained residues of BPA.
While the use of BPA in polycarbonate baby bottles was banned in Canada in 2008, and some manufacturers have voluntarily eliminated the chemical from their bottles, this is not yet widespread in the United States.
In fact, BPA is so widely used that it may be nearly impossible to avoid exposure entirely, however you can greatly reduce your exposure by avoiding BPA-containing products as much as possible, including one of the biggest BPA predators: plastic water bottles.
Plastic containing BPA may be called:
Polycarbonate
Lexan
Polysulfone
Make sure any plastic bottle you give to your baby is BPA-free.
Though it is generally clear, it can be tinted in various colors. Plastic that contains BPA carries the #7 recycling symbol, as well, so never use those bottles.
Are There Any Safe Alternatives?
Drinking plenty of pure water throughout the day is one of the best habits you can get into for your health. This is also what makes bottled water so convenient; simply throw a bottle in your purse, briefcase or gym bag and it’s easy to quench your thirst anytime.
Fortunately, there are options out there that give you the convenience of carrying water with you without risking the serious health effects of BPA.
One such option is to carry a stainless steel water bottle or one made of glass, covered in a protective glove to keep it from breaking. An even better option, which actually purifies your water on the go, is the Wellness H2.0.
The Wellness H2.0 combines the convenience of bottled water without the waste and with superior water quality; it is the next generation of water!
The guiding principle behind the Wellness H2.O is that water should be free ... free from harmful contaminants, free from plastic bottles, and free from the tap.
The Wellness H2.O is a personal, reusable BPA-free water bottle that features a unique filtration system that not only purifies ordinary tap water, but also enhances the water for better absorption and hydration. With this special filtration process you'll have access to high quality water wherever you go.
Over the life of a single Wellness H2.O water bottle you will not only significantly reduce your exposure to BPA compared with drinking from regular plastic bottles, but you will also eliminate the need for over 1,100 plastic bottles and all of the monetary and environmental costs associated with collecting, bottling, warehousing, transporting and retailing of water that is already available from any tap around the globe.
This is the only bottle on the market to produce nourishing, better-than-bottled-quality, "enhanced" water without the cost or waste associated with bottled water -- yet with the convenience of bottled water that so many love. With the Wellness H2.0, you can have superior quality water no matter where you are, just fill up and go!
For even more tips on how to reduce your exposure to BPA, including products to avoid, please read our past article Bisphenol-A: Why Makers of Toys, Medical Equipment & More Don't Want You to Worry About Bisphenol-A -- and Why You Should.
Recommended Reading
Is it Time to Give Up Bottled Water? The Facts, Marketed Illusions, and Health Risks You May Not Know About
Six New Studies Confirm Health Dangers of Plastic
Sources
Harvard School of Public Health May 21, 2009
Environmental Health Perspectives May 12, 2009
International Bottled Water Association 2008 Market Report Findings

Should You Detox to Get Rid of Chemicals?

Detoxification is growing increasingly popular. The basic premise is that your body accumulates more toxins in the modern world than its natural detoxification system (your liver, kidneys and lungs) can get rid of. Proponents say that chemicals from pesticides, chlorine, bleach and ammonia, and carbon monoxide build up over time and cause disease.
Dr. Tanya Edwards, director of the Cleveland Clinic's Center for Integrative Medicine, often starts patients out with a change in diet. Because Americans tend to have diets that lead to constipation, a change in diet can accomplish the same thing as many herbal detoxification products that are really just laxatives.
People are ideally supposed to have one or two bowel movements a day, but many people go two or three days between eliminations. The normal pathway for toxins to move out of the body is through the liver, which converts harmful chemicals into water-soluble molecules that can be flushed out in the urine or feces. If there's a delay in elimination, however, those toxins remain in your system longer.
Tamara MacDonald, a naturopathic physician, uses detox techniques because some people aren't able to detoxify chemicals naturally -- their systems aren't working well for one reason or another. But MacDonald is wary of poorly researched techniques like foot baths and colonics, and thinks that people should steer clear of fasting techniques like the "Master Cleanse," a 10-day detox plan that consists of nothing but lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper.
"One of the worst things that you can do for your body in terms of detoxification is doing a fast," she says. "That was the idea about 20 or 30 years ago, but we know now that your body actually needs specific nutrients to be able to perform its job of detoxification."

Sources:
The Cleveland Plain Dealer May 5, 2009

Clinics and Doctors' Offices Spreading Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria (Superbugs)

Think you're only in danger from antibiotic-resistant infections, such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Clostridium difficile (C.difficile) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus if you are in a hospital? Think again.The potential for picking up one of these infections in other seemingly "safe" places is a real threat that deserves at least as much attention as the mainstream media-hyped new swine flu, or H1N1. For example, the BBC just reported a 58 year old man, Raymond Evans, recently came down with an antibiotic-resistant "flesh eating" infection while on a vacation cruise. Despite strong antibiotics, he died within 24 hours of becoming ill. And now a review just published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) says doctors' offices and clinics can be potentially dangerous places contaminated with these sometimes fatal germs."The recent emergence of community-associated MRSA, vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus and C.difficile among patients with no known predisposing factors has increased the potential for offices and clinics to become silent reservoirs of these pathogens," Dr. Anne Matlow and coauthors from the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the University of Toronto write in the CMAJ article. These infections can take a huge toll on life and limb. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) web site reports that in 2005 (the latest year statistics are available), almost 100,000 people in the U.S. developed a serious, invasive MRSA illness. Close to 20,000 died during a hospital stay related to these infections. According to the CDC, some 85% of all these invasive MRSA infections were associated with healthcare -- and about two-thirds of those occurred from contact with healthcare outside of a hospital. Only 14% of the reported MRSA infections occurred in persons without any obvious exposure to healthcare. Antibiotic-resistant infections that are localized to skin and soft tissue can sometimes, but not always, be treated effectively. However, the CDC notes, some strains have developed super-strength virulence, allowing them to spread more rapidly, defying treatment and causing more severe illness than the type of antibiotic-resistant infections seen in the past. The result can be a shutdown of vital organs, widespread infection (sepsis), toxic shock syndrome and necrotizing ("flesh-eating") pneumonia. So how can clinics and doctors' office minimize transmission of these potentially deadly pathogens? The CMAJ review article outlines infection control strategies for these settings involving commonsense approaches such as simple hygiene, education about spreading germs, and the cleaning of physical environments. The authors also urge doctors to use care in prescribing antibiotics. That's key because it was the widespread and inappropriate prescribing of those drugs for ailments like colds (which are caused by a virus and can't be "cured" by antibiotics) which is believed to have caused bacteria to become antibiotic-resistant in the first place.The CMAJ report says, because healthcare workers are the main mode of transmission, they should be the number one target of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infection prevention strategies. Simple but thorough hand washing with alcohol-based hand rubs or soap and water is the most essential part of infection control. The authors of the review also state that precautions, such as wearing gowns and gloves, should always be used by doctors, nurses and other healthcare workers in caring for people with diarrhea, cystic fibrosis or draining wounds. "Since most cases of transmission in ambulatory care are a result of deficient infection-control practices, strict adherence to recommendations is paramount," write the authors.

For more information:http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_MRSA.htmlhttp://www.cmaj.ca/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/8036935.stm

Are You Going To Be Healthy In 2010?

About Healthy People 2010
In January 2000, the Department of Health and Human Services launched Healthy People 2010, a comprehensive, nationwide health promotion and disease prevention agenda. Healthy People 2010 contains 467 objectives designed to serve as a framework for improving the health of all people in the United States during the first decade of the 21st century.
Healthy People 2010 builds on similar initiatives pursued over the preceding two decades. Two overarching goals—to increase quality and years of healthy life and to eliminate health disparities—served to guide the development of objectives that would be used to measure progress. Each objective has a target to be achieved by the year 2010. These objectives are organized into 28 focus areas, each representing an important public health area. A selected set of objectives, known as the Leading Health Indicators, was created to help identify sentinel measures of public health, and to encourage wide participation in improving health in the next decade. These indicators were chosen based on their ability to motivate action, the availability of data to measure their progress, and their relevance as broad public health issues.
NCHS is responsible for coordinating the effort to monitor the Nation's progress toward the targets, using data from NCHS data systems as well as many other data sources. National data are gathered from more than 190 different data sources, from more than seven Federal Government Departments (including Health and Human Services, Commerce, Education, Justice, Labor, Transportation, and the Environmental Protection Agency), and from voluntary and private non-governmental organizations. To the extent appropriate, data for the objectives are provided for subgroups defined by relevant dimensions such as sociodemographic subgroups of the population, health status, or geographic classifications.
Data are made available through DATA2010, an interactive database system accessible through the NCHS web site and the CDC WONDER system.
Because these objectives are national, not solely Federal, their achievement is dependent in part on the ability of health agencies at all levels of the government and on non-governmental organizations to assess objective progress. To inform that effort, NCHS maintains an online update of the November 2000 publication, Tracking Healthy People 2010. This report includes technical information on general data issues and major data sources, detailed definitions for each objective, and additional resources.

2,300

The total milligrams of sodium that adults should ingest a day - half of what the average American consumes. Keep your levels in check by thinking twice before adding salt.

Artificial Colors: Is the “Secret Shame” of the Food Industry Harming Your Children?

Artificial Colors: Is the “Secret Shame” of theFood Industry Harming Your Children?by http://www.sixwise.com/

Artificial colors are among the most questionable food additives there are, yet despite their potential health risks they’re added to countless food products ranging from candy and soda to breakfast cereal and sausage.
Numerous studies have linked artificial food colors with hyperactivity and behavior problems in children.
Decades ago in 1955, it was deemed safe for people to ingest 12 mg food dye per day. By 2007, that amount had reached 59 mg per person, per day, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) -- a level nearly five times greater than initially was approved.
At the heart of the debate is concern that the artificial dyes cause behavior problems and hyperactivity in children, a suspicion that emerged back in 1970. Around that time Dr. Ben Feingold, an allergist in San Francisco, reported that his patients improved when their diets were changed to avoid artificial food coloring.
“Numerous controlled studies conducted over the next three decades in the United States, Europe, and Australia proved that some children’s behavior is worsened by artificial dyes, but the government did nothing to discourage their use and food manufacturers greatly increased their reliance on them,” reports the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).
Recently, a handful of studies have all gathered data showing that artificial dyes negatively impact children’s behavior. One of the most revealing was a British study from the University of Southampton, published in the journal The Lancet. The study examined the effects of mixes of additives on nearly 300 children, and found artificial food colors and additives exacerbate hyperactive behavior in children.
Now, CSPI is urging the FDA to ban eight widely used artificial food dyes linked to hyperactivity and behavior problems in children, including:
Red 40: This is the most widely used food dye, found in soda pop, candy, gelatin desserts, pastries, pet food and sausage. Key tests involving the dye were found to be flawed and inconclusive, according to CSPI, and although an FDA committee acknowledged potential problems, they said the evidence was not “consistent.” It may be linked to hyperactivity disorders and migraines.
Yellow 5: Found in gelatin dessert, candy, pet food and baked goods, this second most widely used coloring causes allergic reactions, primarily in people sensitive to aspirin.
Yellow 6: As the third most often used food coloring, yellow 6 is found in many products, including backed goods, candy, gelatin and sausages. It has been found to cause adrenal gland and kidney tumors, and contains small amounts of many carcinogens.
Blue 1: Blue 1, used to color candy, beverages and baked goods, may cause cancer.
Blue 2: Blue 2, found in pet food, candy and beverages, has caused brain tumors in mice.
Green 3: Used in candy and beverages, this dye has been suspected of causing bladder cancer.
Orange B: Found in hot dog and sausage casings, this dye was found to cause urinary obstructions in rats that can lead to kidney damage.
Red 3: This food coloring is used in cherries (in fruit cocktails), baked goods and candy. It causes thyroid tumors in rats, and may cause them in humans as well.
"The continued use of these unnecessary artificial dyes is the secret shame of the food industry and the regulators who watch over it," said CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson. "The purpose of these chemicals is often to mask the absence of real food, to increase the appeal of a low-nutrition product to children, or both. Who can tell the parents of kids with behavioral problems that this is truly worth the risk?"
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Their Use is Unnecessary
Given that food dyes are used for purely aesthetic purposes, often in products intensively marketed to children, their use is highly questionable. Further, many of the dyes still in use in the United States have been phased out (or are in the process of being phased out) in Europe.
Because regulators and consumers there refuse to tolerate potentially unsafe food additives in their foods, manufacturers have responded by using natural colorings. For instance, according to CSPI:
Kellogg’s Nutri-Grain bars are made with natural colorings in Britain, but in the U.S. contain Red 40, Yellow 6 and Blue 1.
More than a dozen varieties of Kraft’s Oscar Meyer Lunchables contain artificial dyes, while British versions contain none.
Starburst Chews, Skittles, and M&M candies made by Mars are loaded with artificial dyes in the U.S., but in the U.K. natural colorings are used.
In Britain, McDonald’s strawberry sauce for sundaes comes from strawberries. In the U.S. it comes from Red 40.
Isn’t it time people and children in the United States started demanding the same level of food safety that is already a given in other countries?
How to Minimize Artificial Dyes in Your Diet
With any processed food you run the risk of coming across additives and dyes, and reading through ingredient labels can be like trying to decode a puzzle.
Centering your diet on fresh, whole foods is the best way to stay away from unsavory additives and dyes, but assuming you do include some processed foods in your diet you’ll need to become an avid label reader. Diligently avoid those that contain the dyes listed above, and preferably look for those that contain only natural coloring.
One of our all-time favorite beverage brands, Ajmera, carries just such products. Ajmera's Orang-O Energy , Coco Energy and Mang-O Energy are 100% natural with NO caffeine, no preservatives, no synthetic food colors and no artificial flavors. All three of Ajmera's beverages will keep you tastefully hydrated without having to worry about potentially dangerous dyes!
Further, according to CSPI, everything with a Trader Joe's label sold at the supermarket and all products at Whole Foods are free of the controversial chemicals. At other health food stores, farmer’s markets and food coops, you’ll also likely be able to find foods free of artificial dyes.
Recommended Reading
12 Dangerous Food Additives: The Dirty Dozen Food Additives You Really Need to be Aware Of
Are Metals in Food Harming Your Child’s Behavior?
Sources
Center for Science in the Public Interest June 2, 2008
FoodNavigator-USA.com June 4, 2008
The Lancet Volume 370, Issue 9598, November 2007, Pages 1560-1567
Center for Science in the Public Interest: Food Additives

15

Minutes of high intensity exercise needed to reduce blood sugar levels and risk of diabetes. When researchers had 16 men do 15 minutes of cycling sprints three days a week, they found that the men's insulin levels dropped 37 percent within teo weeks.

The Danger of Consuming Blackened Meat

This summer most people will attend a barbecue where they will be served grilled meat. Some will opt for chicken over beef due to their health conscious nature. However, the most dangerous element they will consume will not be the red meat or the white meat. The real dietary danger will be the black meat! Grilled meat contains one of the most potent carcinogens known: Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), and the telltale signs are the black stripes from the grill. This article will provide information about this toxin along with ways to avoid it.When fire directly touches meat the fat liquefies and drips into the fire, vaporizing and creating dangerous compounds that rise in the form of gas and reattach to the meat. While all substances have a temperature whereby they will vaporize, animal fats must be heated to extremely high temperatures in order to achieve this. When they do vaporize (as they do when they drip into the fire) they become not only toxic but easily absorbed by the body.Polycyclic Aromatic HydrocarbonsThe bad news is they are polycyclic. The good news is they are aromatic. It's like being bitten by a blood-thirsty, tasty shark. It turns out the most dangerous substance found inside vaporized animal fat is PAH. When scientists want to create cancer in a laboratory (something done to animals as a matter of course), they will often use PAH because cooked animal fats are known to be one of the primary causes of cancer. Throw in the hormones, MSG and sodium nitrate (which also fuse into various bad things at high temperatures) and it's obvious why about half of Americans develop cancer in their lifetime.Cast Iron SkilletDoes this mean the fancy outdoor grill was a complete waste of money? Not exactly, for some have a working egg timer and foot massager. Plus, there is a fast solution to the problem: a cast iron skillet can be used on the grill to protect the meat from touching the flame (one just needs to watch out for the handles that get hot). Does this mean that meat can just as easily be cooked on the kitchen stove? Technically yes, but then nobody would get to smell butane while the head of the household dons a chef hat and thumps their chest.Blackened Bread and Pan Seared MeatWhen bread cooks under a flame on a hot stone, the blackening it obtains is actually a powerful antioxidant (similar to activated charcoal). Also, when meat or fish blackens in a pan or under a broiler it's not as dangerous. In fact, this is a key used by most chefs to obtain certain textures and flavors and to sear in juice. One mainly wants to avoid having the fire directly touch the meat.Blackened SeasoningNowadays many restaurants ask patrons if they prefer an item "blackened". A few years ago this meant flame broiled. However now "blackened" usually means blackened seasoning, an artificial flavor normally containing MSG along with cheap fillers. Should you inquire the wait staff will most likely know nothing about it and will resent your even asking (some resent even reading this). The wait staff will have to the cook who is likely to become equally annoyed. The cook must then read the ingredients on that giant container of powder on the shelf for the first time. Most won't be able to detect hidden forms of MSG such as Natural Flavoring, Casein, or Hydrolyzed Vegetable Protein, and some won't even know that MSG also goes by the name Monosodium Glutamate. They will say "no MSG". To make matters worse, a number of restaurants (even high end chains) don't make the ingredients of their spice blends available to the chef (or on their web site). To avoid real flame broiled meat you might request that the cook use flat grill, but another unusual request might mean free special sauce with your meal.For a great MSG-like flavor try the following blend in equal parts:* Celery salt* Dill* Turmeric* Cayenne pepper* Paprika.SummaryIdeally one will limit meat consumption, choose naturally raised meat and either pan-sear or slow-cook meat in a cast iron skillet.There is still hope for the renegade types like comedian Denis Leary who only eat red meat from cows that smoke. Studies have shown that many foods can help detoxify PAH, namely apples, cherries, sage, rosemary, garlic and olive oil.

ReferencesWikipedia entry for PAH:(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polycyclic_aromatic_hydrocarbon)Foods to Reduce PAH(http://altmedicine.about.com/od/healthykitchenrecipes/a/meatcarcinogens.htm)Apples Reduce Toxicity of Cooked Meats(http://www.naturalnews.com/023764.html)

Can Working Indoors Give You Skin Cancer?

Many skin cancer screenings are held during May, which is Melanoma/Skin Cancer Detection and Prevention month. To find a free skin cancer screening in your area, you can click on the link below. You should note that skin cancer screenings tend to be rapid and are not a substitute for a full skin examination by your own dermatologist or physician.This makes May a good time to spread the word that, despite the persistent myth, healthy UVB exposure is not the cause of melanoma. This is why an epidemic of melanoma has broken out among indoor workers. In fact, indoor workers get three to nine times LESS solar UV exposure than outdoor workers get, yet only indoor workers have increasing rates of melanoma -- and the rates have been increasing since before 1940.In fact, UVB light, which causes your skin to produce vitamin D, is protective against cancer.

TIP

Prone to procrastination? Thinking of your task in concrete terms may help, says a recent study. Rather than musing about the novel you want to write, for example, plan to write 500 word this week.

Pesticides Shown to be Huge Parkinson's Disease Ri

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, most researchers believe exposure to some kind of toxin or toxins in the environment triggers the development of Parkinson's disease (PD) -- the degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that impairs motor skills (including walking), speech and other functions. Pesticides have long been on the list of possible suspects as a PD-causing toxin. But a new study just published in the American Journal of Epidemiology by University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists appears to be the "smoking gun" that places pesticides at the top of that list. They found that exposure to a combination of two widely used pesticides increased the risk of Parkinson's disease by an incredible 75 percent. In previous animal studies and cell cultures, researchers have shown pesticides spark a neurodegenerative process that leads to Parkinson's disease. The UCLA scientists, however, are the first to provide evidence for a similar process in humans.They came up with their alarming results by analyzing an epidemiological study of Central Valley, California, residents. The region is one of the nation's top food-growing regions and crops like potatoes, dry beans and tomatoes have long been routinely sprayed with fungicides, herbicides and pesticides.For their study, the UCLA researchers enrolled 368 longtime residents of Central Valley who had been diagnosed with Parkinson's and 341 other PD-free residents as a control group. Their analysis found that people who lived within 500 meters of fields sprayed with two pesticides, maneb and paraquat, between 1974 and 1999 had an extraordinary 75 percent increased risk for Parkinson's. What's more, people who were diagnosed with PD by the age of 60 or younger were found to have been at much higher risk because they had been exposed to maneb, paraquat or both in combination between 1974 and 1989, during the time they were children, teens or young adults. In these people, early pesticide exposure had increased their risk for the disease by four to six times."The results confirmed two previous observations from animal studies. One, that exposure to multiple chemicals may increase the effect of each chemical. That's important, since humans are often exposed to more than one pesticide in the environment. And second, that the timing of exposure is also important," UCLA scientist Beate Ritz, professor of epidemiology at the UCLA School of Public Health, said in a statement to media about her research team's findings.She added that this is the first epidemiological study to provide strong evidence that maneb and paraquat work together to become highly neurotoxic in humans and greatly increase the risk of PD. What makes this particularly concerning is that the UCLA data "suggests that the critical window of exposure to toxicants may have occurred years before the onset of motor symptoms when a diagnosis of Parkinson's is made," Dr. Ritz said.

For more Information:http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/pesticide-exposure-found-to-increase-89084.aspxhttp://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/parkinsons_disease/detail_parkinsons_disease.htm#134403159

All About Organic

To learn more about the health benefits of organic foods, visit the Web site of the Organic Consumers Association (http://www.organicconsumers.org/). Numerous online resources provide easy recipes you can make at home; here are a few to get you started on your journey toward the organic lifestyle and better health:

• http://www.organickitchen.com/


• http://www.recipes.organic.org/


• www.seabreezed.com/recipes.php


• http://www.easybakigtips.com/

How Obesity Causes Disease

An inflammatory factor already linked to several diseases, including pulmonary disease, lung cancer, and arthritis, may also be responsible for the insulin resistance that comes with obesity, according to a new study.Researchers have found that the inflammatory chemokine known as CXCL5 rises and falls along with obesity and weight loss in humans. They also found evidence tying the inflammatory factor, which is secreted at high levels by fat tissue, to insulin resistance in mice.Treatments designed to block CXCL5 were found to improve the animals' sensitivity to insulin.CXCR5 affect a variety of cells including muscle cells, cells that line blood vessel walls and cells in the lung and intestine. This means that increased CXCL5 circulating levels, as observed in obesity, could also lead to other problems such as atherosclerosis and other inflammatory diseases.

Swine Flu Do’s and Don’ts: Is a New Pandemic Coming?

The United States has declared swine flu a public health emergency, with growing numbers of U.S. cases being reported.
With growing numbers of cases of swine flu being reported in the United States, most experts believe the virus is now spreading from person to person, whereas it was once confined to people who had direct contact with pigs. This means “when”, NOT “if,” it will be in many areas of the U.S. -- which poses the question: What to do?
What is the Swine flu? It is a respiratory disease that commonly infects pigs, but is not typically seen in humans. In the time spanning December 2005 through February 2009, just 12 human infections were reported in the United States. However, since March 2009, infection with a new strain of swine flu A (H1N1) has been increasing in the U.S. and internationally.
While we recommend you do NOT panic, it is important to be aware of swine flu and the simple steps you can take to minimize any risks for you and your loved ones.
Why this could be serious: In 1918 there was a worldwide pandemic during which over 50 Million people lost their lives.
Monitoring the incremental impact in your community (if or when any occurs) will be very important. Watch your local news to be informed of possible odds of people in your area having been infected to then raise the level of your precautions.
In Mexico, by the end of April 2009, over 100 people died and 1,400 were sickened by the disease, while 10 New Zealand students who had recently returned from Mexico were also to be infected. Cases have also been discovered in Canada, Spain, Scotland, Israel, Britain and France.
In Mexico they are now distributing face masks to reduce the possibility of people acquiring an airborne strain of the virus.
However, most viruses are transferred by direct contact of touching a person’s hands or the surface they touched then touching your hands to your mouth, nose, eyes or ears.
So to start, reduce contact and use “hospital-grade micro-fibber hand-wipes.”
Also reduce kissing, hugging, handshakes, etc. for the next few days or weeks until you are confident there is no record of the swine flu in your area.
Of the first 20 cases reported in New York, Ohio, Kansas, Texas and California, at least two patients were hospitalized but all have recovered or are recovering. In the United States, so far the cases appear to be milder than those in Mexico, though health officials aren’t sure this will last.
"As we continue to look for cases, we are going to see a broader spectrum of disease," Dr. Richard Besser, acting chief of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told the Associated Press. "We're going to see more severe disease in this country."
Experts are currently debating whether swine flu has the potential to become a pandemic. In Mexico City, the country’s government has closed public and private schools and universities, museums, libraries and theaters in order to curb the outbreak, while the CDC has said the virus “cannot be contained.”
The World Health Organization, meanwhile, has urged governments around the world to be on alert as the full risks of the new swine flu strain develop.
New viruses like H1N1 can develop into pandemics because no one has been exposed before, and therefore no one has immunity. However, the severity of the virus, along with how easily it’s spread, remains to be seen. What’s known already is now the virus is spreading from person-to-person, even among those who had no contact with animals and had never been to Mexico.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Swine Flu?
Swine flu is contagious and capable of spreading from person to person. The incubation period seems to be approximately 12 hours to 24 hours before symptoms appear. Like any flu, the symptoms can range from mild to severe, and include:
Fever (100.5 degrees F or higher)
Cough
Sore throat
Body aches (muscle aches)
Diarrhea & Vomiting
Headache
Chills
Fatigue
When diarrhea and vomiting are present see your doctor immediately as severe cases have progressed to pneumonia, respiratory failure and deaths.How is it Diagnosed? A respiratory specimen must be collected within the first four to five days of illness, when the infected person is most likely to be shedding the virus. However, some patients (such as children), may shed the virus for 10 days or longer, according to the CDC. Specimens must be sent to the CDC for laboratory testing in order to identify swine flu.
R.E. Bates / Centers for Disease Control viaSwine flu virus
How Can You Catch Swine Flu?
Typically swine flu is spread through contact with infected pigs or environments contaminated with swine flu viruses. However, human-to-human spread has also been documented, which means you can catch it through others’ coughing or sneezing but most likely by directly touching an infected person or by indirectly touching something they touched recently that left the flu viruses on it and then touching or rubbing your eyes, mouth or nose (or possibly even your ears).
You cannot get swine flu from eating pork or pork products, as the virus isn’t transmitted in food.
People with swine flu remain potentially contagious while symptoms are present and for up to seven days following the illness, although children can be contagious for even longer.
Steps to Minimize Your Risk of Catching Swine Flu
Currently the CDC recommends the use of two antiviral drugs, oseltamivir (Tamiflu) or zanamivir (Relenza), for the treatment and/or prevention of infection with swine flu viruses, though many point out that the drugs may not be effective for long given the rapid potential for flu viruses to develop resistance.
If you have signs of the flu ranging from fever to body aches and fatigue, see a health care professional to see if you should be tested for swine flu.
The United States is expected to release 25 percent of the 50 million anti-flu drugs from the strategic national stockpile, according to Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano. She also said the U.S. declaration of a public health emergency would free up federal, state, and local agencies’ resources and authorize the release of funds to purchase more antiviral drugs.
The United States has also created a “seed strain” from the virus, which is a virus that can be used to make vaccines. So far tests show the H1N1 component of the seasonal flu vaccines does not protect against the new H1N1 swine flu virus, and experts say a vaccine will take several months to be developed.
That said, some of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of swine flu and any other respiratory illness have nothing to do with pharmaceuticals and everything to do with simple everyday precautions, including:
You can minimize your risk of catching swine flu and other contagious illnesses by using Hospital-Grade PerfectClean Hand Wipes. They're small enough to carry in your pocket or purse, yet effective enough to absorb or even kill most contaminants that can't be seen with the naked eye -- especially once washed in bleach as the fibers encapsulate the bleach that can kill bacteria as they too are encapsulated within the micro-fibers. We recommend wiping your hands every time you touch public areas or shake hands and definately before touching your face, nose, eyes, or mouth, or eating.
You can use them wet or dry to effectively remove germs from your hands, such as after a handshake or before eating. And because they're made of highly durable ultramicrofiber cloth, you can use them for 100+ washes before you need to replace them -- making PerfectClean Hand Wipes incredibly economical for everything from wiping the handle of the shopping cart before touching it to using on vacations and for everyday use.
Also excellent for keeping and wiping your hands after each time you shake hands or touch things in public places plus in public gatherings. For instance, if in a wedding party standing in the meet and greet line, just casually have a PerfectClean in your pocket or a silk PerfectClean in your hand so you can continue to wipe off your hand inconspicuously between each greeting with guests.
Learn More About PerfectClean Hospital-Grade Hand Wipes Now!
Washing your hands with soap and water often.
Covering your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throwing away the tissue.
Surgical masks, which many people in Mexico are now wearing, can add a level of protection as you have likely seen on the news.
Reducing, where possible, being in contact with masses of people in public places.
Avoiding close contact with sick people.
If feeling sick with what are above symptoms then go immediately to your doctor, clinic or hospital. Stay home from work or school, and limit close contact with others and wear a surgical mask especially in public places, as you don’t want to pass along the flu if you do get sick.
Further, to most effectively keep contagions from making your family sick, a three-pronged approach works best.
1. Keep Potential Contagions Out of Your Home. A chief way microorganisms and other contaminants enter your home is through dust and dirt you track in on the bottom of your shoes. It's then circulated directly into the air you and your family breathe.
Trapping dirt right at the door, via doormats placed strategically around your home, can therefore go a long way toward reducing the amount of potentially contagious contaminants in your home's air.
SixWise.com highly recommends the Waterhog Grand Premier Mats for this purpose. Unlike other mats out there, Waterhogs have a distinctive "water-dam" border that traps soil and liquids in the mat so they don't drain or track onto your floors ... while vastly minimizing slipping.
2. Eliminate Contagions in Your Home. Of course, you can't possibly keep all organisms from entering your home. Those that do get in can be effectively removed by using the proper cleaning tools. Sixwise.com highly recommends the PerfectClean line of terry cloths and dusters -- used by hospitals, schools, leading hotels, and other leading commercial organizations -- for this purpose. Rather than just pushing dust and dirt around, or worse, stirring it up into the air, all PerfectClean products are made with positively charged ultramicrofibers that pick up everything in their path--including dust and all of its microscopic attachments.
3. Boost Your Body's First Line of Defense. Your Immune System. If you are exposed to a contagious disease, a strong immune system is key to fighting it off. You can keep your immune system strong by getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy foods including vegetables and fruits, and keeping stress under control.
Short-term the good news is that even during the 1918 Flu Pandemic, the first wave in 1917 affected very few people.
Long-term (being within a year to two years), the real problem occurred in the second year 1918 when 50 Million people died worldwide.
Consider what you can do today “if” tomorrow your area was quarantined and you couldn’t go to work or your children couldn’t go to school.
Ounce of prevention to eliminate the need of a pound of cure.
What steps can you take today to be assured you are able to function both at home and in public areas? Addressing such concerns in advance is your first line of defense regarding exposure to swine flu.
Consider how you can best provide for your loved one’s short term to long term needs if this was to occur.
The one thing you can be certain of. IF there is a major outbreak, there will be short supplies (if any are available) for even such simple solutions as Hospital-Grade PerfectClean hand wipe terry cloths, silk wipes, etc.
Recommended Reading
The Rise of Contagious Disease & How to Minimize Your Risk of Contagious Disease Exposure
H5N1 Kills 70% of Those Infected: Experts Say a Pandemic of this Lethal Flu Strain May be Coming
Sources
Yahoo News April 26, 2009
Reuters April 26, 2009
New Scientist April 26, 2009
ABC News April 26, 2009
Associated Press April 26, 2009
ABC News April 24, 2009
CDC.gov Swine Influenza

4 Ways to Shed Belly Fat

4 Ways to Shed Belly Fat
1. Exercise. You can't exercise to spot reduce, but it will help you shed excess pounds -- and often, the fat your body sheds first comes from your belly. Abdominal crunches can help tone muscles to make your stomach look flatter, but to truly get rid of fat, you have to burn it off through aerobic activity.
2. Be a mindful eater. Researchers are currently investigating whether really paying attention to what you eat can help redistribute body fat from your waist to your hips. Plenty of studies, though, have shown that mindful eating can help with weight loss efforts.
3. Get adequate amounts of sleep. Too little sleep (less than six hours) or too much (more than eight hours) results in an excess production of the stress hormone cortisol. This hormone promotes the storage of fat in the belly.
4. Reduce stress. Penciling in 15 minutes a day for relaxation can also lower your cortisol levels, helping you shed belly fat. Deep breathing, a stroll outdoors under the blossoming trees, or a bubble bath can help you leave the world behind.

Are You Laughing Enough?

Laughter has a real beneficial effect on your physical health, according to research. In the study, subjects were observed as they watched both serious movies and comedies. During the comedies, their arteries dilated and their blood pressure dropped, suggesting that laughter can in fact be a powerful medicine indeed.The study looked at 20 healthy participants with an average age of 33. The results showed for the first time that laughter is linked to healthy function of blood vessels. It appears to cause the endothelium, which is the tissue that forms the inner lining of blood vessels, to dilate or expand in order to increase blood flow.The study also showed that the opposite effect occurred when the subjects watched suspenseful films, suggesting a link between mental stress and the narrowing of blood vessels.A separate study also found that viewing a humorous film may be helpful for the study and treatment of local IgE production and allergy in the reproductive tract.

Sources:
Finding Dulcinea April 1, 2009
Journal Psychosomatic Research February 2009; 66(2):173-5

The Disgusting Truth about Sports Drinks Revealed

Dental experts placed teeth in sports drinks and in water to compare the effects, and they found the sports drinks caused corrosion that could result in severe tooth damage if left untreated.The researchers cut calves' teeth in half and immersed each half in either a sports drink or water. They compared the results after 75 to 90 minutes. The erosion on the half placed in the sports drink was clearly visible -- dozens of tiny holes appeared. There was no damage on the half that was immersed in water.Brushing teeth immediately after the drinks would actually compound the problem, because the citric acid in the drink softens tooth enamel, leaving it vulnerable to abrasive brushing.