Walking may be an important weapon for women in the fight against stroke, a new study hints.
The study found that women who walked for two or more hours a week had a lower risk of stroke than those who walked for less than two hours a week.
It's well known that physical activity is good for heart health, including reducing the risk of stroke. "More active people generally demonstrate a 25 to 30 percent lower risk of stroke," Jacob Sattelmair, the study's lead researcher and a doctoral candidate in epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health in Boston noted in a telephone interview with Reuters Health. MORE>>>>>>>>>
Learning God's Healthy way to a better Life!
6 Foods That Fight Heart Disease
Chocolate. One study found that heart attack survivors who ate chocolate two or more times a week slashed their risk of dying from heart disease by threefold. German researchers found that eating only one square of dark chocolate a week lowered the risk of heart attack and stroke by 39 percent. Other studies have also found that chocolate lowers blood pressure and improves blood flow. The high levels of antioxidants in chocolate seem to be the most likely candidates for chocolate's heart-healthy benefits.
Alcohol. Evidence is mounting that moderate drinking helps reduce the risk of heart disease. (Moderate drinking is defined as three to seven drinks each week for women and three to 14 drinks weekly for men.) A recent study found that moderate drinking lowered the risk of cardiovascular death by 38 percent. Light drinkers (men or women who had three or fewer drinks a week) lowered their risk by 31 percent.
Fish. Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel, contain omega-3 fatty acids, which studies have shown decrease the risk of abnormal heartbeats. They also lower blood pressure, decrease triglyceride levels, and slow the growth of atherosclerotic plaque. A recent study from the University of Athens in Greece found that eating fish once or twice a week helps preserve heart function in those patients who suffer from heart failure. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fatty fish each week.
Tea. A British study found that drinking one cup of tea each day could cut the risk of heart attack almost in half. In addition, a Greek study found that green tea dilated arteries in the heart and allowed blood to flow more freely, which may help protect from blood clots. But skip the milk: A German study found that although tea without milk prevents cardiovascular disease, adding milk counteracts the heart-healthy benefits.
Nuts. Many studies have shown that nuts lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, reduce the risk of developing blood clots, and improve the lining of arteries. Almost every type of nut is healthy, says the Mayo Clinic, but walnuts have been studied many times and have been found to contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. A daily handful of almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts are also healthy.
Cranberries. Researchers at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania found that drinking three glasses of cranberry juice daily for a month significantly raised HDL ("good") cholesterol by 10 percent and lowered the risk of heart disease by 40 percent. Cranberries may even help those with genes for high cholesterol. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine found that cranberry powder lowered the cholesterol levels of pigs born with a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol. Within six months, their cholesterol levels were less than other pigs born with the genetic defect but not given cranberry powder, as well as the levels of pigs born with normal cholesterol levels that weren't given cranberry.
Alcohol. Evidence is mounting that moderate drinking helps reduce the risk of heart disease. (Moderate drinking is defined as three to seven drinks each week for women and three to 14 drinks weekly for men.) A recent study found that moderate drinking lowered the risk of cardiovascular death by 38 percent. Light drinkers (men or women who had three or fewer drinks a week) lowered their risk by 31 percent.
Fish. Fatty fish, such as salmon, sardines, and mackerel, contain omega-3 fatty acids, which studies have shown decrease the risk of abnormal heartbeats. They also lower blood pressure, decrease triglyceride levels, and slow the growth of atherosclerotic plaque. A recent study from the University of Athens in Greece found that eating fish once or twice a week helps preserve heart function in those patients who suffer from heart failure. The American Heart Association recommends eating at least two servings of fatty fish each week.
Tea. A British study found that drinking one cup of tea each day could cut the risk of heart attack almost in half. In addition, a Greek study found that green tea dilated arteries in the heart and allowed blood to flow more freely, which may help protect from blood clots. But skip the milk: A German study found that although tea without milk prevents cardiovascular disease, adding milk counteracts the heart-healthy benefits.
Nuts. Many studies have shown that nuts lower LDL ("bad") cholesterol, reduce the risk of developing blood clots, and improve the lining of arteries. Almost every type of nut is healthy, says the Mayo Clinic, but walnuts have been studied many times and have been found to contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. A daily handful of almonds, pecans, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts are also healthy.
Cranberries. Researchers at the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania found that drinking three glasses of cranberry juice daily for a month significantly raised HDL ("good") cholesterol by 10 percent and lowered the risk of heart disease by 40 percent. Cranberries may even help those with genes for high cholesterol. Researchers at the University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine found that cranberry powder lowered the cholesterol levels of pigs born with a genetic predisposition for high cholesterol. Within six months, their cholesterol levels were less than other pigs born with the genetic defect but not given cranberry powder, as well as the levels of pigs born with normal cholesterol levels that weren't given cranberry.
Depressed Adults Smoke More
Adults who suffer from depression are twice as likely to smoke and also to smoke more heavily than adults who are not depressed, a study shows.
Forty-three percent of all adults aged 20 and older who suffer from depression smoked cigarettes, compared with 22 percent of adults who were not depressed, according to data compiled by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MORE>>>>>>>>>>
Forty-three percent of all adults aged 20 and older who suffer from depression smoked cigarettes, compared with 22 percent of adults who were not depressed, according to data compiled by the U.S. National Center for Health Statistics, which is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. MORE>>>>>>>>>>
King Tut Wore Orthopedic Sandals
The first detailed analysis of sandals buried with the boy king suggest the sometimes elaborate footwear was made to accommodate his club foot.
- By Rossella Lorenzi | Wed Apr 7, 2010 04:54 AM ET
At least three pairs of shoes found in King Tut's tomb display a horizontal strap just below the toes, as shown in this illustration. (Click on the photo to find out more about the amazing sandals.)
Andre Veldmeijer/Drawing by M.H. Kriek
King Tutankhamun might have worn some sort of orthopedic shoes specially designed to cope with his club foot condition, an investigation into the pharaoh's footwear has suggested.
Published in the book, "Tutankhamun's Footwear: Studies of Ancient Egyptian Footwear," the research is the first detailed analysis of the 3,300-year-old footwear since King Tut's mummy and treasure-packed tomb were discovered by Howard Carter in 1922.
See a slide show of sandals worn during King Tut's time here.
Even though the mummy had been X-rayed several times, it was only recently, during a major genetic investigation into King Tut's family, that researchers found a series of malformations in the pharaoh's feet.
Apart from a foot bone disorder known as Kohler disease II, King Tut might have had seriously deformed feet which left him hobbling around with the use of a cane.
Indeed, the second toe in King Tut's right foot lacked the middle bone, making it shorter, while the left foot was clubbed, rotating internally at the ankle.
The foot condition might have required appropriate shoes with a tight strap in order to avoid them being dragged over the floor.
Related Links:
- King Tut Felled by Malaria, Bone Disease
- All the Latest King Tut News
- TreeHugger.com: Can Walking Barefoot Make You Healthier?
- Planet Green: Egypt Today - Creating Urban Park Space
- HowStuffWorks.com: Was there really a curse on King Tutankhamen's tomb?
Indeed three pairs of shoes found in King Tut's tomb have horizontal straps just below the toes. One of the pairs also features semi-circular panels at the shoe's sides.
"These features are not known in any other footwear, sandal or shoe alike," book author Andre Veldmeijer, a Dutch archaeologist who specializes in ancient Egyptian leatherwork, footwear and cordage, told Discovery News in an exclusive interview.
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Over 80 pieces of footwear of different sizes were buried with the boy king. Some are much deteriorated, with just fragments or isolated straps remaining. Others, however, have survived in decent condition.
Veldmeijer studied 81 specimens, including simple sewn sandals as well as other elaborately decorated, gold ornamented, brightly colored open shoes.
"They were very colorful, shiny shoes. Some are really unique as they combine shape, special materials and new manufacturing techniques," Veldmeijer said.
Veldmeijer believes it is unlikely that the most elaborate shoes, complete with gemstone inlays and gold sheets, ever touched the ground.
"King Tut might have been carried around wearing them. Some shoes, such as the elaborate marquetry veneer sandals, might have been carried by a servant," Veldmeijer said.
On the contrary, the seemingly simple sewn sandals, made of palm leaf, grass and papyrus, were the most important items.
"They were a status symbol, only used by those elite who were rewarded by the king and royalty. These sandals were so important that they were even imitated in gold," Veldmeijer said.
According to the archaeologist, the group of smallest size footwear might have fit King Tut when he was 10, the approximate age when he became king in 1333 B.C, while the largest could have been worn just before his death at age 19.
"This suggest that only the shoes he wore as a king were buried with him. Indeed, many sandals show wear, including the print of King Tut's foot on the sole," Veldmeijer said.
Two pair of open shoes were made to be extra comfortable, with the middle part of the sole stuffed to be more soft on the plantar.
Together with a German specialist in reproduction of ancient footwear, Veldmeijer is now testing the "orthopedic" shoe hypothesis by remaking King Tut's leather open shoes.
"We are collaborating with a professor in anatomy to see how deformed the foot was and how the shoes would have helped," Veldmeijer said.
According to Salima Ikram, professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, the speculation is interesting.
"It is entirely feasible that tighter straps on Tut's shoes were due to a possible club foot, as these would hold them in place and enable easy maneuvering," Ikram told Discovery News.
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Lights keep vegies full of vitamins
Supermarket lights help keep spinach fresh and producing new vitamins, according to US government researchers.
The surprising findings should apply to other fresh vegetables and may offer insights into how to keep produce fresher longer, the researchers reported in the
They may also suggest ways to boost nutrients in fresh foods, says Gene Lester of the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. He says the idea for the experiment came to him when he was shopping.
Supermarkets often display fresh spinach in clear plastic containers at around 4°C under fluorescent light 24 hours a day. Lester wondered if this was good or bad for the leaves.
"It is about time we asked some of these questions and do some of the science," says Lester.
Stay fresh
His team kept fresh spinach leaves under continuous light or darkness for three to nine days.
Spinach kept under lights for as little as three days had significantly higher levels of vitamins C, K, E and folate, as well as more the colourful and healthful carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin, they report.
Leaves stored in the dark lost nutrients, says Lester. On reflection, he says, the findings should not be surprising.
"These vitamins are basically in the plant for photosynthesis and we humans, being the biggest predator of plants, have evolved over time to utilise them as opposed to we having to manufacture them," he says.
Even when picked, leafy greens continue to photosynthesis, says Lester. "As long as there is moisture in the leaves and as long as there is gas exchange and light, it is good to go whether they are picked or not."
His team chose fresh spinach as it is "arguably one of the most nutritionally complete vegetables commonly consumed." A serving of spinach provides 20% or more of the recommended dietary intake of vitamins C, A, B9, K and E.
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10 Power Food Combos
10 Power Food Combos
Research shows certain foods suddenly become healthier when eaten in combination. From spinach and beets to red wine and apples, here are 10 pairings that boost each other’s benefits.
Why does orange juice taste so good with oatmeal? And what is it about olive oil that enhances the flavor of tomatoes? The answers to these questions, it turns out, are buried deep within our instincts. New evidence suggests that certain foods that taste great together also interact with one another in nutritionally positive ways. In other words, two particular foods consumed in combination can actually deliver more benefits than either one would on its own. Epidemiologist David R. Jacobs refers to this phenomenon as “food synergy.” He believes that it might explain why we are inherently crave certain foods together, as well as how they join forces to protect and nourish our bodies. Here are 10 food combos that maximize absorption of the good elements while keeping the bad ones out of your system.
1. Spinach & Beets
Popeye has been selling us on the power of spinach for 80 years, but he should skip the canned variety and, if he really wants to do himself some good, throw in some beets. According to dietitian Joanne Larsen, dark green, leafy vegetables like spinach and kale are best eaten in combination with another veggie high in Vitamin C like beets, because “iron absorption in your intestines is improved by Vitamin C.” Tomatoes and bell peppers are also great sources of the immuno-boosting vitamin, for those who don’t like having pink-stained hands.
2. Tomatoes & Olive Oil
Greeks consume more of these two ingredients per capita than anyone else, and they have higher life expectancies than Americans. Tomatoes are rich in an antioxidant called lycopene, which has been proven to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. But lycopene is also fat-soluble, which means combining it with a healthy, monounsaturated fat like olive oil helps boost absorption even more. Technique: Sautéed tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and pepper make a great fresh pasta sauce; but you can also whip up a quick Caprese salad by adding some mozzarella and basil to sliced tomatoes drizzled with olive oil.
3. Beef & Carrots
When you’re in the mood for a hearty meal, try this mix that will boost your immune function. The Vitamin A in the carrots is best absorbed when bound to a protein. Plus, the beef delivers an extra dose of zinc, which protects against weakening of the immune system.
4. Green Tea & Lemon
Green tea is a true liquid miracle worker—it’s packed with antioxidants, revs up metabolism, and keeps you hydrated. When drunk with lemon, its benefits become turbocharged—your body absorbs 13 times as many more antioxidants than when consumed on its own.
5. Garlic & Fish
These two flavors were made for each other, and when combined, the cholesterol-reducing fish oils and heart-healthy garlic can act as an anti-inflammatory agent.
6. Red Meats & Rosemary
While red meats shouldn’t generally be seen as health foods, we’re all going to order the steak once in a while. But you can mitigate the damage in a way that only adds to the taste. The antioxidants rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid, both found in rosemary, can soak up and neutralize the meat’s free radicals, which are one of the key causes of signs of aging.
7. Orange Juice & Oatmeal
This is the real breakfast of champions. The combination of these morning basics has actually been shown to prevent heart attacks and clean arteries twice as effectively as ingesting either one on its own. The organic compounds known as phenols (found in both) stabilize cholesterol levels when consumed together. Tip: Instant oatmeal is often processed with added sugars, salt, and colorings, so go for old-fashioned rolled oats.
8. Apples & Red Wine
With all the recent studies proclaiming the health benefits of red wine, you might be tempted to swap your apple a day for a glass of Pinot—now you have an excuse to enjoy both. Apples contain an anti-inflammatory flavonoid called quercetin, while red wine contains the flavonoid catechin. Together, they work to prevent blood clots and improve cardiovascular functioning.
9. Blueberries & Grapes
Both of these antioxidant-packed fruits are great for on-the-go snacking or for adding to yogurt. But it’s also been proven that fruits mixed together actually have a greater antioxidant response than one fruit eaten on its own. Trick: Buy blueberries and grapes when they’re in season, freeze them in a single layer on a baking sheet, then store them in bags for year-round use.
10. Nuts & Seeds & Dried Fruit
Trail mix, anyone? Nutritionist Lauren Talbot says that nuts and seeds are high in protein and contain little water (as do dried fruits), and that eating these dense foods together makes for easier digestion.
But every coin has a flip side. You should also know about the retroactive combinations that can cause health problems. Here are five common combos to avoid.
1. Coffee & Eggs
This deadly combination is found at every diner in America, and yet the potent polyphenols found in coffee actually reduce iron absorption from the eggs and decrease calcium in your bones. Tip: If you can’t get through the morning without a caffeine fix, try switching to chai tea, which contains caffeine but has spices that can improve circulation and mental clarity.
2. Milk & Anything
Since milk is a complete food, it requires digestion in its most concentrated form—by itself. Trick: If you’re craving a glass of milk, drink it with a spoonful of honey since the two can take on antimicrobial properties when consumed together.
3. Meat & Potatoes
Although this classic union makes for a hearty meal, starches are digested in the small intestine while proteins are digested in the stomach, so eating these together can result in digestive problems and a slowed metabolism.
4. Fruit & Anything
Fruits are great sources of vitamins and antioxidants, but they also contain acids that cause them to ferment in the stomach and slow the digestion of other foods. Tip: Beans aren’t the only “magical” fruit—eat fruits by themselves on an empty stomach to avoid digestion problems and potential gas.
5. Non-Starchy Greens & Dairy
Creamed spinach makes for a filling side. Unfortunately, studies show that the chemicals in non-starchy veggies (spinach, kale, broccoli, etc.) can block the
http://refreshingnews9.blogspot.com/2010/03/10-power-food-combos.html
Breast-feeding would save lives, money
CHICAGO – The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life, a cost analysis says.
Those startling results, published online Monday in the journal Pediatrics, are only an estimate. But several experts who reviewed the analysis said the methods and conclusions seem sound.
"The health care system has got to be aware that breast-feeding makes a profound difference," said Dr. Ruth Lawrence, who heads the American Academy of Pediatrics' breast-feeding section.
Sebelius: FDA Will Require Health Labels on Front of Food Packages
By Edwin Mora
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)(CNSNews.com) -- Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Kathleen Sebelius said today that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is developing a new regulation that would require food manufacturers to display nutritional information on the front of packages.
This would mean that the front of a Wheaties box, for example, would display not only the smiling face of a famous athlete but also declare how many calories from fat are in each serving.
“Busy shoppers will be able to go into grocery stores and have some easy to understand information on the front of packages giving them quick data on what is a healthier choice,” said Sebelius at the U.S. Capitol.
“The Food and Drug Administration right now is working with food manufacturers to not only update the nutritional labeling on the back of packages, which right now is written in small bar codes and pretty indecipherable and hasn’t been updated in 20 years, but to move to a front-of-package labeling strategy,” said Sebelius.
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Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. (AP Photo/Haraz N. Ghanbari)
This would mean that the front of a Wheaties box, for example, would display not only the smiling face of a famous athlete but also declare how many calories from fat are in each serving.
“Busy shoppers will be able to go into grocery stores and have some easy to understand information on the front of packages giving them quick data on what is a healthier choice,” said Sebelius at the U.S. Capitol.
“The Food and Drug Administration right now is working with food manufacturers to not only update the nutritional labeling on the back of packages, which right now is written in small bar codes and pretty indecipherable and hasn’t been updated in 20 years, but to move to a front-of-package labeling strategy,” said Sebelius.
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How carbon dioxide in the blood could be responsible for near-death experiences
Some experience an out-of-body floating sensation, others an intense feeling of joy and peace.
Now scientists believe they have explained what causes the near death experiences reported by thousands of people on the operating table.
A study of heart attack victims has found a link between out of body experiences and high levels of carbon dioxide in the blood.
Towards the light: People who have out-of-body experiences on the operating table may have high levels of carbon dioxide in their blood
Researchers who made the discovery believe carbon dioxide may alter the chemical balance of the brain - and "trick" it into seeing lights, tunnels or dead people.
Around a fifth of people whose heart stops during a cardiac arrest claim to have had some kind of near death experience.
They include the sensation of someone's life flashing before their eyes, intense feelings of calm, travelling down tunnels towards bright lights and encounters with dead people.
The new study in Slovenia, looked at the experiences of 52 patients treated for heart attacks in hospital. All the patients were "flatliners" - people who were resuscitated after their breath and heart stopped.
Drug Companies Paid Docs Millions
Pfizer Inc. said it paid $35 million to some 4,500 doctors and researchers from July through December 2009 for a variety of services, including speaking fees, expert advice, and work on clinical trials of its medicines.
The world's largest drugmaker last year agreed to pay a record $2.3 billion fine and plead guilty to a criminal charge related to improper promotions of 13 of its medicines, but said the new disclosures were already in the works before that widely publicized settlement.
Abortion's cancer link reaffirmed
Another study shows a link between abortion and breast cancer.
A study of research conducted over several decades shows a direct connection between abortion and breast cancer, especially with a first pregnancy. Even so, many organizations refuse to recognize it.
"This is a study that came out of Northeast China, and they examined reproductive factors that were associated with different subtypes of breast cancer," Malec explains. "And they found that women who have abortions increase their risk of developing breast cancer later on in life by a statistically significant 17 percent."
Last year, a Turkish study reported a statistically significant 66 percent increased risk for women who had an abortion. The Coalition president reports that both studies involve honest research conducted outside the control of the U.S. National Cancer Institute and other Western groups that insist on refuting or ignoring the research.
Malec argues that the studies are even more relevant, considering healthcare reform which will finance abortions, irrespective of President Obama's executive order which bans use of federal tax dollars for abortion. More abortions, she explains, could equate to increased breast cancer cases in the future.
Viagra Improves Sex for Some Women
Jan. 7, 2004 -- Viagra can do wonders for men. But a new study shows it also improves sex for some postmenopausal women.
The findings come from a research team led by sexual-function gurus Jennifer R. Berman, MD, and Laura A. Berman, PhD. The placebo-controlled study, funded by Viagra maker Pfizer Inc., evaluated 202 postmenopausal women diagnosed with female sexual arousal disorder (FSAD). This disorder is defined as distress from an inability to attain or maintain sexual excitement.
Half the women were treated with Viagra; the other half got inactive placebo pills. Many of the women who got the placebo reported improved genital sensation. Some even reported more sexual satisfaction. But both of these improvements were much more common among women who took Viagra.
The little blue pill didn't work for women who, in addition to FSAD, also had something called hypoactive sexual desire disorder or HSDD. While many women with FSAD have difficulties with genital blood flow -- suggesting a physical problem that Viagra can help -- women with HSDD may be more likely to have an underlying emotional or relationship problem leading to lack of sexual desire.
"Unresolved emotional or relational issues should be addressed before beginning medical therapies," Berman and colleagues stress. Their report appears in the December 2003 issue of The Journal of Urology.
Viagra, Genital Sensation, and Sexual Satisfaction
Women were included in the study if they were postmenopausal or if they had a hysterectomy. Their ages ranged from 30 to 71 with an average age of about 51.
The Berman team focused on the women's answers to two questions after taking Viagra or placebo:
- After taking the study medication, the sensation/feeling in my genital (vagina, labia, clitoris) area during intercourse or stimulation seemed to be: (a) more than before, (b) less than before, or (c) unchanged.
- After taking the study medication, intercourse and/or foreplay was (a) pleasant and satisfying; better than before taking the study medication; (b) unpleasant; worse than before the study medication; (c) unchanged; no difference; or (d) pleasant but still not like it used to be or I would like it to be.
Among placebo recipients, 44% reported improvement in the first question and 28% reported improvement in the second question.
Among all Viagra recipients, 57% reported improvement in the first question and 42% reported improvement in the second question.
But among Viagra recipients with sexual arousal disorder who did not have HSDD, the results were more striking: 69% reported improvement in the first question. This group was eight times more likely to report improvement than women without HSDD who got placebo.
Similarly, among Viagra recipients with sexual arousal disorder who did not have HSDD 50% reported improvement in the second question. This group was 11 times more likely to report improvement than non-HSDD women who got placebo.
The authors note that women who respond to Viagra may need to have normal levels of estrogen and testosterone. For many postmenopausal women, that may mean menopausal replacement therapy. In the present study, the women had normal hormone levels or were receiving menopausal replacement therapy.
SOURCE: Berman, J.R. The Journal of Urology, December 2003; vol 170: pp 2333-2338.
Flibanserin for female arousal?
Flibanserin the female Viagra?
The trials were the first ever to test a therapy that works at the level of the brain to enhance libido in women reporting low sexual desire, said UNC's John M. Thorp Jr., the principal investigator for North America in the studies. The results reported yesterday at the Congress of the European Society for Sexual Medicine in Lyon, France.
"Flibanserin was a poor antidepressant," Thorp explained. "However, astute observers noted that it increased libido in laboratory animals and human subjects. So, we conducted multiple clinical trials and the women in our studies who took it for hypoactive sexual desire disorder reported significant improvements in sexual desire and satisfactory sexual experiences. It's essentially a Viagra-like drug for women in that diminished desire or libido is the most common feminine sexual problem."
The trials measured changes from baseline on the following variables as reported by the women each week: number of satisfying sexual events, desire score, female sexual function index, female sexual distress and desire/libido.
The researchers say that treatment with 100 milligrams of flibanserin once a day was associated with significant improvements in the number of satisfying sexual events reported, sexual desire and a reduction in distress associated with sexual dysfunction.
"These results point to a novel approach to pharmacologic treatment of the sexual problem that plagues reproductive age women the most, and may over time prove to be an effective treatment without the side effects of androgen replacement therapy, which is the only treatment currently available," Thorp said. Flibanserin is currently only available to women taking part in clinical trials.
Related:
Low Sex Drive - Says Who?
Sexual problems? Why worry?
Sexual Showstoppers
Low Libido? Body Image Could Be To Blame
Penetrative Sex: Less Is More
LibiGel® Women's Viagra?
LibiGel®
LibiGel® is a gel formulation of testosterone, designed to be quickly absorbed through the skin after a once-daily application on the upper arm, delivering testosterone to the bloodstream evenly over time and in a non-invasive and painless manner. The topical application of LibiGel has the added advantage of reduced skin reactions compared to other forms of transdermal delivery systems (i.e. patches).
The concept behind the LibiGel® development program is intriguing – to develop a product to treat women who suffer from female sexual dysfunction for which there is no clinically tested, FDA approved product, and do this with a drug that will be shown to be safe and effective, and affordable, both to develop and for women to use. The LibiGel development program has been designed to show that LibiGel can safely improve women's sexual desire and the frequency of satisfying sexual events and decrease personal distress associated with low sexual desire in women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD). LibiGel could be the first FDA approved product to treat FSD, specifically HSDD in menopausal women.
Though generally characterized as a male hormone, testosterone also is present in women and its deficiency has been found to decrease libido or sex drive. In addition to increasing sexual desire and activity and decreasing sexual distress, studies have shown that testosterone therapy can increase bone density, raise energy levels and improve mood. The goal of testosterone treatment of women complaining of HSDD is to increase the serum testosterone towards the normal range of premenopausal women in an effort to alleviate the symptoms of this disorder.
Development / Regulatory Status
Results of Phase II
Treatment with LibiGel in BioSante's Phase II clinical trial significantly increased satisfying sexual events in surgically menopausal women suffering from FSD. The Phase II trial results showed LibiGel significantly increased the number of satisfying sexual events by 238% versus baseline (p<0.0001);>
Progress and Plans in Phase III
On January 24, 2008, the US FDA notified BioSante that it had completed and reached agreement with BioSante on a Special Protocol Assessment (SPA) for BioSante's Phase III safety and efficacy clinical trials of LibiGel in the treatment of HSDD. This action confirms FDA's position that FSD and HSDD are true conditions that women experience with measurable endpoints that can be evaluated and which deserve therapeutic options. The SPA process and agreement affirms that the FDA agrees that the LibiGel Phase III safety and efficacy clinical trial design, clinical endpoints, sample size, planned conduct and statistical analyses are acceptable to support regulatory approval. Further, it provides assurance that these agreed measures will serve as the basis for regulatory review and the decision by the FDA to approve a new drug application (NDA) for LibiGel. Both Phase III safety and efficacy trials are underway and are double-blind, placebo-controlled trials that will enroll approximately 500 surgically menopausal women each for six-months of treatment.
The last issue beyond efficacy has been the question of safety of testosterone therapy in women, even though there are no data to indicate that low dose testosterone causes any serious adverse events in women. BioSante agrees with the FDA's efforts to ensure the safety of drugs in development and on the market, and has worked with the FDA to develop a program for LibiGel that is scientifically sound, affordable and realistic. BioSante is in agreement with the FDA for a clearly defined LibiGel development path that can lead to the approval of LibiGel for the treatment of FSD. Therefore, in addition to the two Phase III safety and efficacy trials described above, BioSante is conducting one Phase III cardiovascular safety study of LibiGel, which also is underway. The safety study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center, cardiovascular events driven study of between 2,400 and 3,100 women exposed to LibiGel or placebo for 12 months. At the end of 12 months, BioSante intends to submit a LibiGel NDA for review and possible approval by FDA. BioSante will continue to follow the women enrolled in the safety study for an additional four years after the NDA submission and possible approval of LibiGel.
The LibiGel safety study is tracking a composite of cardiovascular events including cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction and stroke in women with FSD who are 50 years of age or older and have at least one of a number of cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes. The objective of the safety study is to show the relative safety of testosterone compared to placebo in the number of cardiovascular events. The incidence of breast cancer is also being tracked throughout the study.
Clearly, it will be the safety trial that drives the NDA timeline. BioSante believes it will take approximately 12 months to enroll the women in this multi-national cardiovascular-events-driven safety trial. Therefore, BioSante expects to be able to submit the LibiGel NDA for a potential approval and launch in 2011.
Papaya: Natural Cure Against Cancer
Fresh research has revealed that the papaya plant and its extracts can provide protection against cancer by slowing the growth of cancerous cells without causing harmful side effects. The discovery has been made by a University of Florida researcher in a joint project with the University of Tokyo.
The research was published in Journal of Ethnopharmacology*. University of Florida researcher, the Vietnamese Dr. Nam Dang, conducted a research project with colleagues from the University of Tokyo and their findings indicate that extracts from the papaya plant affect the regulation of the immune system. In this way, the attack on the cancerous cells does not cause harmful side effects because it acts through boosting the immune system and therefore does not have any effect upon normal cells.
Dr. Dang’s research studied the application of the papaya plant for cures in patients suffering from cancer among indigenous communities in Vietnam and Australia. He then developed four strengths of extract from the papaya leaf, which when applied clinically, slowed the growth of cancerous cells in ten different types of cancer, namely those affecting the cervix, the breast, the liver, the lungs and the pancreas. The effects were visible within 24 hours.
While the research project concentrates on the application of the papaya leaf on cancerous cases in Asia, indigenous populations in Brazil have been using the papaya leaf for thousands of years in infusions to treat ailments of the liver, including hepatitis A. The research conducted by Dr. Dang was made using dried papaya leaves.
He proved that papaya leaf extract increases the level of signalling molecules which help to regulate the immune system, attacking the cancerous cells. By boosting the Th1-type cytokines, the immune system responds to invaders while not producing toxic effects on healthy cells.
This type of treatment, according to Dr. Dang, produces results which go hand in hand with reports from indigenous communities in Australia and Vietnam.
* Source http://enervon.com/tag/journal-of-ethnopharmacology/
Every Man Should Train His Prostate Daily
There are plenty of myths about the harm of sexual abstinence, especially among men. Some say it may cause infertility. One group claims men cannot live without having regular sexual interactions, while another one believes that everything depends on a man’s body type. Specialists Rostislav Beleda, Irina Gumennikova and Yuri Prokopenko were asked direct questions to find out the truth.
Rostislav Beleda: "As of now, there is no unified opinion regarding the effect of abstinence on human body. Some believe that it causes both psychical and somatic abnormalities, others stress that it is harmless, while some think it is actually good for your body. Obviously, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
"There is a great deal of evidence showing that sexual life positively affects human health. Medical professionals claim that sexual activity reduces the risk of heart diseases, rejuvenates, burns extra calories, helps the body to produce natural pain killers and substances that improve teeth condition, strengthen the immune system, train prostate, and improve sense of smell. At the same time, sexual abstinence negatively affects sperm motility; increases risk of prostatitis and may cause problems with erection.
"If we look at the effect of sexual abstinence in its entirety, we can notice that along with positive effect of using extra energy for something else, it can be harmful. There are certain changes that cause various neurotic disorders explained by a heightened sex drive, as well as a possibility of developing an inclination for perversion," Beleda explains.
The doctor believes that the statement “men cannot live without “it” is a mere myth: "Generally, abstinence is very individual and depends on the intensity of a person’s sex drive.
Adults with weak sex drive and moderate excitability can easily survive even long periods of abstinence without any visible negative consequences.
At the same time, people with a strong sex drive and high excitability can abstain from sex for a limited time only. They may develop emotional and sexual disorders, mostly sexual neurosis."
Sexual health specialist Irina Gumennikova: "In addition to psychological consequences of sexual abstinence, sexual function suffers. Men practicing abstinence may develop problems with erection and ejaculation. The level of consequences depends on a person’s age and length of abstinence. A 25-year old man with a strong sexual drive may experience difficulties practicing abstinence for two weeks, but it will not affect his sexual function. At age 30-35 a few months of abstinence may cause premature ejaculation and problems with erection.
"Usually these problems go away once sexual activity becomes regular. Men over 40 may require treatment. Men over 50 who abstain from sex for two to three months may lose their sexual function for good."
Does this mean that men should use any opportunity to have sex?
According to recent research, men who have one partner are able to preserve their sexual function longer than those with several partners.
"Abstinence can be harmful, but don’t think that you have to have sex all day long for “health” reasons. You should have sex as often as you want,” says Yuri Prokopenko.
“If you have sex less frequently than you want, you can ruin your hormonal balance and develop blood congestion in small pelvis area. If you try to make yourself have sex when you do not want to, you may develop psychological problems. Do not make sex a “mandatory activity.”
Omega-3 Reduces Dangerous Colon Polyps
A purified form of omega-3, the so-called "good fat" found naturally in certain fish and nut oils, reduced dangerous polyps among people prone to bowel cancer, says a British study published on Thursday by Gut, a journal of the British Medical Association. read more>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Sugary Drinks Fuel Rise in Diabetes and Heart Disease
More Americans than ever drink sugary drinks daily, according to government statistics, and the increase has fueled the rise in heart disease and diabetes over the past 10 years. Scientists used a computer simulation called the Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) Policy Model to estimate that the rise in consumption has contributed to 130,000 new cases of diabetes and 14,000 new cases of coronary artery disease in adults age 35 and older. read more>>>>>>>>
Experts: Acupuncture Can Spread Diseases
Bacterial infections, hepatitis B and C, and possibly even HIV are being transmitted via acupuncture through the use of contaminated needles, cotton swabs, and hot packs, experts warned on Friday.
In an editorial published in the British Medical Journal, microbiologists at the University of Hong Kong said the number of reported acupuncture-related infections worldwide was the tip of an iceberg, and they called for tighter infection control measures. read more>>>>>>>>>>>
Frankincense: Could it be a cure for cancer?
The gift given by the wise men to the baby Jesus probably came across the deserts from Oman. The BBC's Jeremy Howell visits the country to ask whether a commodity that was once worth its weight in gold could be reborn as a treatment for cancer.
Oman's Land of Frankincense is an 11-hour drive southwards from the capital, Muscat.
Most of the journey is through Arabia's Empty Quarter - hundreds of kilometres of flat, dun-coloured desert. Just when you are starting to think this is the only scenery you will ever see again, the Dhofar mountains appear in the distance.
 |
On the other side are green valleys, with cows grazing in them. The Dhofar region catches the tail-end of India's summer monsoons, and they make this the most verdant place on the Arabian peninsula.
Warm winters and showery summers are the perfect conditions for the Boswellia sacra tree to produce the sap called frankincense. These trees grow wild in Dhofar. A tour guide, Mohammed Al-Shahri took me to Wadi Dawkah, a valley 20 km inland from the main city of Salalah, to see a forest of them.
"The records show that frankincense was produced here as far back as 7,000 BC," he says. He produces an army knife. He used to be a member of the Sultan's Special Forces. With a practised flick, he cuts a strip of bark from the trunk of one of the Boswellia sacra trees. Pinpricks of milky-white sap appear on the wood and, very slowly, start to ooze out.
 Boswellia sacra produces the highest-quality frankincense |
"This is the first cut. But you don't gather this sap," he says. "It releases whatever impurities are in the wood. The farmers return after two or three weeks and make a second, and a third, cut. Then the sap comes out yellow, or bright green, or brown or even black. They take this."
Shortly afterwards, a frankincense farmer arrives in a pick-up truck. He is white-bearded, wearing a brown thobe and the traditional Omani, paisley-patterned turban.
He is 67-year-old Salem Mohammed from the Gidad family. Most of the Boswellia sacra trees grow on public land, but custom dictates that each forest is given to one of the local families to farm, and Wadi Dawkah is his turf.
Camel train
He has an old, black, iron chisel with which he gouges out clumps of dried frankincense.
"We learnt about frankincense from our forefathers and they learnt it from theirs" he says. "The practice has been passed down through the generations. We exported the frankincense, and that's how the families in Dhofar made their livings."
 Salem Mohammed: Young people prefer careers in oil or government |
And what an export trade it was. Frankincense was sent by camel train to Egypt, and from there to Europe. It was shipped from the ancient port of Sumharan to Persia, India and China. Religions adopted frankincense as a burnt offering.
That is why, according to Matthew's Gospel in the Bible, the Wise Men brought it as a gift to the infant Jesus. Gold: for a king. Frankincense: for God. Myrrh: to embalm Jesus' body after death.
The Roman Empire coveted the frankincense trade. In the first century BCE, Augustus Caesar sent 10,000 troops to invade what the Romans called Arabia Felix to find the source of frankincense and to control its production. The legions, marching from Yemen, were driven back by the heat and the aridity of the desert. They never found their Eldorado.
Oman's frankincense trade went into decline three centuries ago, when Portugal fought Oman for dominance of the sea routes in the Indian and the Pacific Oceans.
 Salalah's Haffa souk: The place to buy Omani brands such as Royal Hougari |
Nowadays, hardly any Omani frankincense is exported. Partly, this is because bulk buyers, such as the Roman Catholic Church, buy cheaper Somalian varieties. Partly, it is because Omanis now produce so little.
"Years ago, 20 families farmed frankincense in this area," says Salem Mohammed Gidad. "But the younger generation can get well-paid jobs in the government and the oil companies, with pensions. Now, only three people still produce frankincense around here. The trade is really, really tiny!"
Cancer hope
But immunologist Mahmoud Suhail is hoping to open a new chapter in the history of frankincense.
Scientists have observed that there is some agent within frankincense which stops cancer spreading, and which induces cancerous cells to close themselves down. He is trying to find out what this is.
 The Catholic church mostly buys Somalian frankincense |
"Cancer starts when the DNA code within the cell's nucleus becomes corrupted," he says. "It seems frankincense has a re-set function. It can tell the cell what the right DNA code should be.
"Frankincense separates the 'brain' of the cancerous cell - the nucleus - from the 'body' - the cytoplasm, and closes down the nucleus to stop it reproducing corrupted DNA codes."
Working with frankincense could revolutionise the treatment of cancer. Currently, with chemotherapy, doctors blast the area around a tumour to kill the cancer, but that also kills healthy cells, and weakens the patient. Treatment with frankincense could eradicate the cancerous cells alone and let the others live.
The task now is to isolate the agent within frankincense which, apparently, works this wonder. Some ingredients of frankincense are allergenic, so you cannot give a patient the whole thing.
 | FRANKINCENSE FACTS Boswellia sacra grows in Oman, Yemen and Somalia Other Boswellia species grow in Africa and India The tree may have been named after John Boswell, the uncle of Samuel Johnson's biographer In ancient Egypt frankincense was thought to be sweat of the gods Source: The Pharmaceutical Journal |
Dr Suhail (who is originally from Iraq) has teamed up with medical scientists from the University of Oklahoma for the task.
In his laboratory in Salalah, he extracts the essential oil from locally produced frankincense. Then, he separates the oil into its constituent agents, such as Boswellic acid.
"There are 17 active agents in frankincense essential oil," says Dr Suhail. "We are using a process of elimination. We have cancer sufferers - for example, a horse in South Africa - and we are giving them tiny doses of each agent until we find the one which works."
"Some scientists think Boswellic acid is the key ingredient. But I think this is wrong. Many other essential oils - like oil from sandalwood - contain Boswellic acid, but they don't have this effect on cancer cells. So we are starting afresh."
The trials will take months to conduct and whatever results come out of them will take longer still to be verified. But this is a blink of the eye in the history of frankincense.
Nine thousand years ago, Omanis gathered it and burnt it for its curative and cleansing properties. It could be a key to the medical science of tomorrow.
Jeremy Howell reports for Middle East Business Report on BBC World News.
Singing 'rewires' damaged brain
By Victoria Gill
Science reporter, BBC News, San Diego
Science reporter, BBC News, San Diego
 Singing words made it easier for stroke patients to communicate |
Teaching stroke patients to sing "rewires" their brains, helping them recover their speech, say scientists.
By singing, patients use a different area of the brain from the area involved in speech.
If a person's "speech centre" is damaged by a stroke, they can learn to use their "singing centre" instead.
Researchers presented these findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Diego.
An ongoing clinical trial, they said, has shown how the brain responds to this "melodic intonation therapy".
Gottfried Schlaug, a neurology professor at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston, US, led the trial.
The therapy is already established as a medical technique. Researchers first used it when it was discovered that stroke patients with brain damage that left them unable to speak were still able to sing.
Professor Schlaug explained that his was the first study to combine this therapy with brain imaging - "to show what is actually going on in the brain" as patients learn to sing their words.
Making connections
Most of the connections between brain areas that control movement and those that control hearing are on the left side of the brain.
"But there's a sort of corresponding hole on the right side," said Professor Schlaug.
|  Music engages huge swathes of the brain - it's not just lighting up a spot in the auditory cortex  Dr Aniruddh Patel, neuroscientist |
"For some reason, it's not as endowed with these connections, so the left side is used much more in speech.
"If you damage the left side, the right side has trouble [fulfilling that role]."
But as patients learn to put their words to melodies, the crucial connections form on the right side of their brains.
Previous brain imaging studies have shown that this "singing centre" is overdeveloped in the brains of professional singers.
During the therapy sessions, patients are taught to put their words to simple melodies.
Professor Schlaug said that after a single session, a stroke patients who was are not able to form any intelligible words learned to say the phrase "I am thirsty" by combining each syllable with the note of a melody.
The patients are also encouraged to tap out each syllable with their hands. Professor Schlaug said that this seemed to act as an "internal pace-maker" which made the therapy even more effective.
"Music might be an alternative medium to engage parts of the brain that are otherwise not engaged," he said.
Brain sounds
Dr Aniruddh Patel from the Neurosciences Institute in San Diego, said the study was an example of the "explosion in research into music and the brain" over the last decade.
"People sometimes ask where in the brain music is processed and the answer is everywhere above the neck," said Dr Patel.
"Music engages huge swathes of the brain - it's not just lighting up a spot in the auditory cortex."
Dr Nina Kraus, a neuroscientist from Northwestern University in Chicago, also studies the effects of music on the brain.
In her research, she records the brain's response to music using electrodes on the scalp.
This work has enabled her to "play back" electrical activity from brain cells as they pick up sounds.
"Neurons work with electricity - so if you record the electricity from the brain you can play that back through speakers and hear how the brain deals with sounds," she explained.
Dr Kraus has also discovered that musical training seems to enhance the ability to perform other tasks, such as reading.
She said that the insights into how the brain responds to music provided evidence that musical training was an important part of children's education.
Do Our Organs Have Memories?
Transplant patients sometimes take on part of their donors’ personalities.
Glenda lost her husband, David, in a car crash. She made his organs available for transplant. A few years later, as part of a study by neuropsychologist Paul Pearsall, she met the young Spanish-speaking man who had received her late husband’s heart. Filled with emotion, Glenda asked if she could lay her hand on his chest. “I love you, David,” she said. “Everything’s copacetic.”
Studies: Belief in God relieves depression
The "Big Man Upstairs" is getting accolades from mental health specialists who say they are finding that a belief in God plays a positive role in the treatment of anxiety and depression.
University of Toronto psychologists reported last year that "believing in God can help block anxiety and minimize stress," their research showcasing "distinct brain differences" between believers and nonbelievers.
A new study released Wednesday by Rush University Medical Center in Chicago took the idea a step further.
In patients diagnosed with clinical depression, "belief in a concerned God can improve response to medical treatment," said the new research, which has been published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
The operative term here is "caring," the researchers said. "The study found that those with strong beliefs in a personal and concerned God were more likely to experience an improvement."
The researchers compared the levels of melancholy or hopelessness in 136 adults diagnosed with major depression or bipolar depression with their sense of "religious well-being." They found participants who scored in the top third of a scale charting a sense of religious well-being were 75 percent more likely to get better with medical treatment for clinical depression.
"In our study, the positive response to medication had little to do with the feeling of hope that typically accompanies spiritual belief," said study director Patricia Murphy, a chaplain at Rush and an assistant professor of religion, health and human values.
"It was tied specifically to the belief that a Supreme Being cared," she said.
"For people diagnosed with clinical depression, medication certainly plays an important role in reducing symptoms," Ms. Murphy added. "But when treating persons diagnosed with depression, clinicians need to be aware of the role of religion in their patients' lives. It is an important resource in planning their care."
Public opinion polls — from Gallup to the Pew Research Center — reveal that large majorities of Americans believe in God. It is a factor among the researchers as well.
Data released last year by sociologists from the University of California at Berkeley, in fact, revealed that 93 percent of the nation believes in God, a finding that has remained unchanged since 1988.
The Canadian researchers who found that belief in God lowers anxiety and stress also based their conclusions on measurements — monitoring the brain activities of believers and nonbelievers charged with some challenging tasks.
"We found that religious people or even people who simply believe in the existence of God show significantly less brain activity in relation to their own errors," said Michael Inzlicht, assistant psychology professor at the University of Toronto, who led the research.
"They're much less anxious and feel less stressed when they have made an error," he said.
Beware of McCain's Freedom-Destroying Dietary Supplement Regulatory Bill
Most are familiar with those commercials on television promoting prescription drugs that supposedly offer relief from a variety of ailments, if one would only pressure one’s doctor to obtain them. They have become a source of great entertainment and amusement to some, the kicker coming at the end of each commercial when the FDA-approved medication’s obligatory litany of warnings and dangerous side effects is recited: “Tell your doctor if....” and “Side effects may include.....” Some of the warnings are mild like diarrhea and constipation, some list serious effects like cancer or tuberculosis, and others admit that sometimes even death can result.
The point here is that these are all FDA-approved drugs being advertised and used extensively. Drugs that can cause serious diseases like lymphoma. Drugs that can kill. The FDA’s dismal safety record is well documented; even PBS ran a Frontline special that investigated and exposed the FDA’s unsafe drug record, the influence of Big Pharma inside the FDA, and lack of long-term testing and medical review of many, many dangerous drugs. The FDA seldom removes a drug from the market even after it proves to be harmful or deadly, however they do post quarterly reports with details of the latest potentially dangerous side effects of drugs currently under investigation.
Nonetheless, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) wants this same FDA, with its dismal safety record, to regulate dietary supplements. The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA), S. 3002 (text of this bill posted on Senator McCain's website), that McCain has introduced with one cosponsor, would repeal key provisions of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) to “more effectively regulate dietary supplements that may pose safety risks unknown to consumers.”
Under attack by the DSSA is the once-protected field of supplements, as they have always been considered food. Potencies would have to be reduced to comply with what appears to be a plan modeled after the European Food Safety Authority. A new list of “Accepted Dietary Ingredients” would be “prepared, published, and maintained by the Secretary,” in the future. That’s a bit like being handed a blank check and told to fill it out later as one wishes. It could certainly be used to severely limit access to, and even production of, hundreds of life-sustaining and essential mineral, herb, and vitamin products.
All ingredients contained in each supplement would have to be disclosed at the time the company registers all of its “manufactured, packaged, held, distributed, labeled or licensed,” products with the FDA. An onerous burden would be placed on the shoulders of suppliers and retailers of dietary supplements, as they would have to “obtain written evidence” from the seller that the product is registered as required by law, and keep that documentation on file. Monetary penalties for non-compliance “may, in addition to other penalties imposed in this section, be fined not more than twice the gross profits or other proceeds derived from the manufacture, packaging, holding, distribution, labeling, or license of such dietary supplement.” Those are very broad dictates and most likely subject to even broader interpretation.
The McCain bill would change existing mandatory serious adverse reporting regulations, requiring minor adverse effects to be reported as well so that the FDA could arbitrarily pull supplements off the shelves or reclassify them as drugs. This immediate recall authority would be granted to the “Secretary upon determination,” that there is a “reasonable probability” that the product is “adulterated” or “misbranded.” Adulterated in this bill takes on a whole new expanded definition: “A dietary supplement which contains a new dietary ingredient shall be deemed adulterated under section 402(f) unless there is a history of use or other evidence of safety.” The development of new products that contain newly discovered nutritional components may be entirely quashed.
The point here is that these are all FDA-approved drugs being advertised and used extensively. Drugs that can cause serious diseases like lymphoma. Drugs that can kill. The FDA’s dismal safety record is well documented; even PBS ran a Frontline special that investigated and exposed the FDA’s unsafe drug record, the influence of Big Pharma inside the FDA, and lack of long-term testing and medical review of many, many dangerous drugs. The FDA seldom removes a drug from the market even after it proves to be harmful or deadly, however they do post quarterly reports with details of the latest potentially dangerous side effects of drugs currently under investigation.
Nonetheless, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) wants this same FDA, with its dismal safety record, to regulate dietary supplements. The Dietary Supplement Safety Act (DSSA), S. 3002 (text of this bill posted on Senator McCain's website), that McCain has introduced with one cosponsor, would repeal key provisions of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) to “more effectively regulate dietary supplements that may pose safety risks unknown to consumers.”
Under attack by the DSSA is the once-protected field of supplements, as they have always been considered food. Potencies would have to be reduced to comply with what appears to be a plan modeled after the European Food Safety Authority. A new list of “Accepted Dietary Ingredients” would be “prepared, published, and maintained by the Secretary,” in the future. That’s a bit like being handed a blank check and told to fill it out later as one wishes. It could certainly be used to severely limit access to, and even production of, hundreds of life-sustaining and essential mineral, herb, and vitamin products.
All ingredients contained in each supplement would have to be disclosed at the time the company registers all of its “manufactured, packaged, held, distributed, labeled or licensed,” products with the FDA. An onerous burden would be placed on the shoulders of suppliers and retailers of dietary supplements, as they would have to “obtain written evidence” from the seller that the product is registered as required by law, and keep that documentation on file. Monetary penalties for non-compliance “may, in addition to other penalties imposed in this section, be fined not more than twice the gross profits or other proceeds derived from the manufacture, packaging, holding, distribution, labeling, or license of such dietary supplement.” Those are very broad dictates and most likely subject to even broader interpretation.
The McCain bill would change existing mandatory serious adverse reporting regulations, requiring minor adverse effects to be reported as well so that the FDA could arbitrarily pull supplements off the shelves or reclassify them as drugs. This immediate recall authority would be granted to the “Secretary upon determination,” that there is a “reasonable probability” that the product is “adulterated” or “misbranded.” Adulterated in this bill takes on a whole new expanded definition: “A dietary supplement which contains a new dietary ingredient shall be deemed adulterated under section 402(f) unless there is a history of use or other evidence of safety.” The development of new products that contain newly discovered nutritional components may be entirely quashed.
The hypocritical contrast between the regulation of drugs that can kill and the proposed hyper-regulation for food products -- vitamins, minerals, herbs -- is as plain as the nose on everyone's face.
A Pandora’s box of intended and unintended legal complications and government harassment of nutritional supplement manufacturers and sellers could very well be unleashed if this bill is passed. There are already existing laws on the books that protect consumers from misbranded, fraudulent, or contaminated products. Granting the FDA additional regulatory authority over nutritional supplements seems a bit suspicious, especially considering the influence the enormous pharmaceutical industry has wielded over the research, development, and approval process inside the FDA. Let’s face it, the FDA has been no friend and often has been positively antagonistic toward the nutritional supplement industry. Therefore one wouldn’t set the wolf to guarding the sheep without dire consequences.
In this perverted overly-regulated country, food is now toxic, and drugs and chemicals are safe for ingestion, no matter the harm that results. This inversion should remind us that those who best have the consumers health and safety interests at heart are the consumers themselves. It is big government that has a proven track record of not protecting the public. And it is big government that is seeking to take away yet another individual freedom, the right to choose one’s own treatment. (Where is the pro-choice crowd on this one; the ones that claim, “my body, my choice?”)
Contact your federal legislators and urge them not to cosponsor, support, or vote for such a power-grabbing, bill. Let them know Americans want unrestricted access to nutritional supplements, and the government out of their health choices.
Sen. McCain described his bill as a “no brainer.” For constitutionalists it’s a “no brainer” that it should be rejected for the dictatorial, power-grabbing, choice-limiting attack on the nutritional marketplace and individual freedoms that it is.
The Autism Debate: Who's Afraid of Jenny McCarthy?
In person, surprisingly, Jenny McCarthy comes across as corn-fed cute rather than overwhelmingly beautiful. She has a common touch, and a woman even slightly more beautiful would struggle to connect as she does. When McCarthy meets a mom, when she spits forth a stream of profanity and common sense — the foulmouthed comedian from Chicago never far from the surface — she is there as a mother, not as a celebrity or starlet. That's what got her there, but that's not who she is once she's there. She speaks to so many frustrated, despairing mothers of autistic children because she is plausible, authentic. If you needed a woman to bring hope to these mothers, you couldn't ask for better casting than Jenny McCarthy.
Fighting Alzheimer's with a touch of beauty
A pioneering care project demonstates how literature, music, art and love can improve the lives of dementia sufferers
Rita Hayworth
Image :1 of 2
Study: Teen pot, alcohol use rising
Alcohol and marijuana use among teens is on the rise, ending a decade-long decline, a study being released Tuesday found.
"I'm a little worried that we may be seeing the leading edge of a trend here," said Sean Clarkin, director of strategy at the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, which was releasing the study. "Historically, you do see the increase in recreational drugs before you see increases in some of the harder drugs."
The annual survey found the number of teens in grades nine through 12 who reported drinking alcohol in the last month rose 11 percent last year, with 39 percent — about 6.5 million teens — reporting alcohol use. That's up from 35 percent, or about 5.8 million teens, in 2008.
For pot, 25 percent of teens reported smoking marijuana in the last month, up from 19 percent.
Until last year, those measures for pot and alcohol use had been on a steady decline since 1998, when use hovered around 50 percent of teens for alcohol and 27 percent for pot.
The study also found use of the party drug Ecstasy on the rise. Six percent of teens surveyed said they used Ecstasy in the past month, compared with 4 percent in 2008.
If parents suspect their teen is using, they need to act quickly, Mr. Clarkin said. Monitor them more closely, talk with them about drugs, set rules and consult outside help, such as a counselor, doctor, clergy or other resource, he said.
The researchers asked teens how they felt about doing drugs or friends who did them. The study found a higher percentage of teens than in the previous year agreed that being high feels good; more teens reported having friends who usually get high at parties; and fewer teens said they wouldn't want to hang around others who smoked pot.
Stacy Laskin, now 21 and a senior in college, said marijuana was everywhere during her high school years. She said she tried pot and drank alcohol in high school but didn't make it a habit like other teens she knew.
"The behavior I saw people go through — and to see how far people can fall — really turned me away more than anything else," Miss Laskin said in an interview with Associated Press.
Her close friend from high school died in 2008 from a heroin overdose. Miss Laskin, a psychology major at Salisbury University in Maryland, was so torn by her friend Jeremy's death that she decided to help others and is working on her second internship at a drug-treatment center.
"Just seeing the negative impact made me want to get involved," she said.
Other findings:
• Teen abuse of prescription drugs and over-the-counter cough medicine remained stable from 2008 to 2009. About one in seven teens reported abusing a prescription pain reliever in the past year, and about 8 percent of the teens questioned reported over-the-counter cough medicine abuse in the past year.
• Teen steroid and heroin use remained low at 5 percent for lifetime use.
The group's "attitude tracking" study was sponsored by MetLife Foundation. Researchers surveyed 3,287 teens in grades nine through 12. Data were collected from questionnaires that teens filled out anonymously from March to June 2009. The study has a margin of error of 2.3 percentage points.
The New York-based partnership is a nonprofit group working to reduce the use of illicit drugs.
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