Heart Attacks Rise After Daylight Savings Time

The clocks move forward one hour on March 11, as most of the U.S. goes on Daylight Savings time. In addition to arriving early at appointments if you forget to reset your clocks, you could be at greater risk for a heart attack.

“The Monday and Tuesday after moving the clocks ahead one hour in March is associated with a 10 percent increase in the risk of having a heart attack,” said Martin Young, an associate professor at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB). “The opposite is true when falling back in October. This risk decreases by about 10 percent.”

The Sunday morning of the time change doesn’t require an abrupt schedule change, but, Young says, heart-attack risk peaks on Monday when most people rise earlier to go to work.

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Consumer Group Finds Carcinogen in Coke and Pepsi

New chemical analyses have found that Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, Diet Coke, and Diet Pepsi contain high levels of 4-methylimidazole (4-MI), a known animal carcinogen, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), the nonprofit watchdog group that commissioned the tests.

The carcinogen forms when ammonia or ammonia and sulfites are used to manufacture the “caramel coloring” that gives those sodas their distinctive brown colors. CSPI first petitioned the FDA to ban ammonia-sulfite caramel coloring in February 2011.

CSPI today reiterated its call to the Food and Drug Administration to revoke its authorization for caramel colorings that contain 4-MI, and in the interim to change the name of the additive to “ammonia-sulfite process caramel coloring” or “chemically modified caramel coloring” for labeling purposes.

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Vermont Senate passes bill ending philosophical exemptions from school vaccination requirements

Madison Ruppert, Contributing Writer
Activist Post

The Vermont Senate recently passed a bill that is now on its way to the state House, which, if signed into law, would end the ability for parents to avoid getting their children vaccinated based on philosophical grounds.

This means that children will not be able to go to school if their parents refuse the vaccines, as they can no longer be exempt from the requirement based on parents' philosophical opposition.

No matter how you feel about vaccines, I hope that you recognize and respect the right of individuals to make the ultimate decision when it comes to their own health and the health of their children; it is a right which is becoming increasingly stripped away from the people of the United States.

Andre Evans
Activist Post

How do you make an educated food purchase that will protect you and your family from harmful yet common food contaminants? You must be privy to the subtleties.

Many people today accept ‘all natural’ as a stamp of integrity for their food. FDA regulations, however, make the guidelines for authenticity rather lenient, and capitalize on the unawareness of the average buyer with strong advertising.

The average person on a base level acknowledges that there are dangerous additives like MSG and high fructose corn syrup in many products. As a result, they generally attempt to avoid these, and will instead often pick a product with an ‘all natural’ label in an effort to do so. Products that are labeled as such, however, oftentimes don’t contain many ‘natural’ ingredients.

The EndoBarrier^® Gastrointestinal Liner is a breakthrough product designed to help patients regain control of type 2 diabetes and obesity.

The EndoBarrier has received European CE mark approval and is commercially available in Chile, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Austria. The EndoBarrier has received TGA approval and will soon be available in Australia.

The EndoBarrier is not approved for sale in the United States and is considered investigational. The EndoBarrier has CE mark approval in Europe and is indicated to treat patients with type 2 diabetes and/or obesity for 12 months.

Clinical trial experience to date involving more than 500 patients has demonstrated significant diabetes improvement and weight loss with the EndoBarrier during the implant period, when combined with certain diet and lifestyle modifications. In addition, while using the EndoBarrier, many patients are also able to decrease their dosage of oral anti-diabetes medications.

The EndoBarrier is implanted into the intestine and acts as a physical barrier between food and that part of the intestine wall where the EndoBarrier is present. This action delays digestion and intervenes with the body’s metabolic functions, which results in improved diabetes control and weight loss, thus mimicking the effects of gastric bypass surgery without the risks associated with surgery. The EndoBarrier is inserted endoscopically (via the mouth) and doesn’t require any surgery or incisions.

Once in place, the effects of the EndoBarrier on glucose control are rapid. It may be implanted for up to 12 months of use and has shown benefits in three-month, six-month and 12-month studies. The device is easily removed, also endoscopically, during a simple, outpatient procedure, and initial studies have demonstrated that the EndoBarrier has sustained benefits on glycemic control and weight loss up to six months post-explant.

Deadly ally in fight for life: Low doses of carbon monoxide can prevent miscarriage

Carbon monoxide is rightly feared, as inhaling too much of it is deadly. However, this lethal gas has been shown to have remarkable life-saving properties for foetuses.

Researchers from the Otto-von-Guericke University in Germany have shown that low doses of carbon monoxide can increase the growth of blood vessels in the placenta and establish blood flow in the umbilical cord.

These are both crucial factors in a baby’s health. Problems in placental function and blood flow can result in a 'small for gestational age' baby, miscarriage or perinatal death.

Unlikely help: Carbon monoxide has been shown to prevent miscarriage and perinatal death

Carbon monoxide’s amazing ability is in mimicking the effects of the Heme oxygenase-1 enzyme, which promotes the growth of blood vessels in the placenta and umbilical cord blood flow.

Both miscarriage and pre-eclampsia - a rise in hypertension - are associated with low levels of HO-1 in the placenta.

The researchers used carbon monoxide on mice with unhealthily small foetuses – a condition known as Intrauterine growth restriction - and were able to restore placental function and prevent foetal death without any detrimental effects.

They found that an extended course of low dose carbon monoxide on mice was able to reduce foetal loss from 30 per cent to zero – all the babies survived.

CDC Issues Warning About Nasal Washes

DENVER (CBS4) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and National Jewish Health in Colorado both have issued a warning about nasal washes after two people have died from using tap water to do their sinus rinse.

Health experts say it’s safe to use nasal washes. It’s not about the rinse, it’s about the water. They warn that a mixture from a faucet could be fatal.

Reading, writing — and sinus rinses. They’re part of the curriculum for some students at Kunsberg School at National Jewish Health. Saltwater nasal washes can help asthma and allergy sufferers. More>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Women 'have potentially endless supply of eggs'

(TELEGRAPH) — Women could have the opportunity to give birth with their own eggs later in life thanks to the discovery that they possess a potentially “unlimited” supply of them, scientists have discovered.

Their ovaries contain stem cells which can “spontaneously” generate into immature eggs in the laboratory, according to the American team.

The prevailing wisdom has been that women have a finite number of eggs, that gradually diminish in number and quality until the menopause.

But British experts said the findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine, “re-write the rule book” on this point and amounted to “a potentially landmark piece of research”.

Read the full story ›

Fasting stops dementia, heart disease?

One day in the not-so-distant future, you may find yourself receiving some unusual health advice from your GP: fast two days a week to prevent your brain shrinking with age.

You might be given the same advice to lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes — and even tackle cancer.

Fasting was a common medical treatment in the past, but now new research suggests there may be good reason for it to make a comeback. This is because it seems to trigger all sorts of healthy hormonal and metabolic changes.

Researchers have long known that cutting back animals’ calories over an extended period can make them live up to 50 per cent longer — it’s been harder to prove benefits in humans because few people can stick to this restrictive regimen.

Read the full story ›

Mild dehydration can have serious effects on health

Water levels determine how good we feel

Test results show no difference between taking a 40 minute walk or sitting at a desk. Lawrence E. Armstrong, professor of physiology at University of Connecticut, lead study researcher and hydration expert with over 20 years experience, stressed on the importance of staying hydrated throughout the day, regardless of the level of physical activity one is engaged in.

Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035062_dehydration_health_effects_moods.html#ixzz1nm3Xvr4y

The great cereal scandal: One of Britain’s leading consumer experts reveals the shocking truth about sugary breakfast cereals

The food industry’s biggest con trick is one you’re probably falling for every day of the week. Even worse, the victims are your children.

Visit any supermarket and wander down the aisle of breakfast cereals. The message from the packets couldn’t be more encouraging.

This one is ‘the sunshine breakfast’. That one is made from ‘wholesome corn, oats, rice and wheat’. Pretty much all are ‘fortified with vitamins and minerals’. The contents of the attractive colourful boxes can form ‘part of a balanced diet’.

Health hazard? According to Which? many breakfast products are laden with so much sugar they ought to be sold alongside chocolate biscuits

For decades, we have been sold the story that a bowl of cereal is one of the healthiest things a caring mother could feed her children every morning.

But many cereals hide a horrible secret: the large amounts of sugar the manufacturers have pumped into them.

Common Paint-Stripping Chemical Linked to at Least 13 Deaths

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post

Common paint-stripping products containing a little-known chemical known as methylene chloride could not only be posing serious risks to the health of home improvement workers, but home owners and the general public as a whole.

Now linked to at least 13 deaths, the true negative effects of these methylene chloride-containing products are only now fully coming to light thanks to an investigation by researchers at Michigan State University.

Launched in 2011, the scientists conducting the research found that at least 13 deaths have occurred from the usage of paint-stripping products containing methylene chloride since the year 2000. Widely used as a degreaser and paint stripper in over-the-counter products that any consumer can take home, methylene chloride is a highly toxic chemical. Colorless and highly volatile, the chemical inhabits many home improvement products sold at popular “DIY” store chains.

Hypoglycemia Affects Productivity at Work

news

A survey of type 1 and type 2 diabetes patients in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany indicates that more than one in every five have arrived late at work or not shown up at all because of a hypoglycemic episode the night before.

The survey, sponsored by Denmark-based drug maker Novo Nordisk, asked 1,404 people aged 18 and older if hypoglycemic incidents affect their productivity at work. About 22.7 percent said that episodes the night before had forced them to arrive late at work or miss an entire day. An almost equal percentage-18.3 percent--said that at-work hypoglycemic episodes have forced them to leave work early.

In a hypoglycemic episode, blood sugar plummets to dangerously low levels, bringing on trembling, sweating, confusion, and rapid pulse. If left untreated, the patient can slip into a coma. Treatment calls for a rapid infusion of glucose to bring blood sugar levels back up. Such incidents can be exhausting, causing patients to require observation and rest that can cut into their normal work day. Read more...

Diet Soda Tied to Heart Attack Risk

Diet soda may benefit the waistline, but a new study suggests that people who drink it every day have a heightened risk of heart attack and stroke.

The study, which followed almost 2,600 older adults for a decade, found that those who drank diet soda every day were 44 percent more likely than non-drinkers to suffer a heart attack or stroke.

The findings, reported in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, don't prove that the sugar-free drinks are actually to blame.

There may be other things about diet-soda lovers that explain the connection, researchers say.

"What we saw was an association," said lead researcher Hannah Gardener, of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. "These people may tend to have more unhealthy habits."

Read more: Study: Diet Soda Tied to Heart Attack Risk
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

The secret to long life? Starve yourself on alternate days to boost brain power and shed weight

Starving yourself can prolong your life

Starving yourself on alternate days can make you live longer, according to scientists.

A group of Americans have said that fasting on and off can boost brain power and help to lose weight at the same time.

The National Institutes for Aging said their research was based on giving animals the bare minimum of calories required to keep them alive and results showed they lived up to twice as long.

The diet has since been tested on humans and appears to protect the heart, circulatory system and brain against age-related diseases like Alzheimer's.

'Dietery energy restriction extends lifespan and protects the brain and cardiovascular system against age-related disease,' said Mark Mattson, head of the laboratory of neurosciences at the NIA and professor of neuroscience at John Hopkins University in Baltimore.

'We have found that dietary energy restriction, particularly when administered in intermittent bouts of major caloric restriction, such as alternative day fasting, activates cellular stress response pathways in neurones,' he said to the Sunday Times.

Having a curry could help ward off dementia

SOURCE

Tests on fruit flies found that those given curcumin, the key chemical in turmeric, lived 75 per cent longer.

The findings, published in the journal PLoS One, could help explain why rates of dementia are lower among the elderly in India than in their Western peers.

Alzheimer’s is linked to the build-up of protein in the brain called amyloid plaques damaging the wiring.

Curcumin did not dissolve the plaque, but accelerated the formation of nerve fibres by reducing the amount of their precursor forms, known as oligomers, from which they were formed.

Prof Per Hammarstrom, of Linkoping University in Sweden, said: “The results confirm our belief that it is the oligomers that are most harmful to the nerve cells.”

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Calm down dear, with a sip of water: Dehydration can alter mood and ability to think

People who feel like losing their temper might find a glass of water calms them down, researchers claim.

Mild dehydration can alter a person’s mood, energy level and ability to think clearly, according to studies at America’s University of Connecticut.

‘Even mild dehydration – 1.5 per cent loss in normal water volume in the body – that can occur in the course of our ordinary daily activities can degrade how we are feeling, especially for women, who are more susceptible to the adverse effects of low levels of dehydration,’ said Harris Lieberman, one of the studies’ co-authors.

Drink up: Mild dehydration can have an adverse effect on the mood especially in women

Tests showed that it didn’t matter if a person had just walked for 40 minutes on a treadmill or was sitting at rest, the adverse effects were the same.

More...

How eating too much could double risk of memory loss

Lawrence Armstrong, one of the studies’ lead scientists, added: 'Our thirst sensation doesn’t really appear until we are one per cent or two per cent dehydrated.

By then dehydration is already setting in and starting to impact how our mind and body perform.

'Dehydration affects all people, and staying properly hydrated is just as important for those who work all day at a computer as it is for marathon runners, who can lose up to 8 percent of their body weight as water when they compete.'

Research: Test subjects who were dehydrated experienced more difficulty when performing mental tasks

Subjects were put through a series of tests measuring vigilance, concentration, reaction time, learning, memory, and reasoning.

Their results were then compared against those of individuals who were not dehydrated.

In young women, mild dehydration was found to cause headaches, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating.

Female subjects found tasks more difficult although they suffered no substantive reduction in cognitive ability.

Young men experienced some difficulty with mental tasks, particularly in the areas of vigilance and working memory and also experienced fatigue, tension, and anxiety.

Changes in mood and symptoms were 'substantially greater in females than in males, both at rest and during exercise'.

Experts recommend drinking two litres of water a day.

A List of Vegetables High in Nitrates

Forward from The Plain Truth: This week we are going to be doing some stories on Sodium Nitrate and Nitrites, the ingredients in many of our foods that have come under fire from the health conscious and many people. We have a drive underway to stop consuming Nitrates and Nitrites in our diet. Are we really informed? Do you really know what Sodium Nitrate is? Is it a man made products, only a part of processed foods and cured meats? Have they been wrongfully accused of causing everything from headaches to high blood pressure. Just what are sodium Nitrates.

A List of Vegetables High in Nitrates
By Kent Ninomiya

Nitrates are created in vegetables when micro-organisms break down fertilizers and other nutrients in the soil. Nitrates occur naturally in vegetables in small amounts. Adding fertilizer to vegetables increases their nitrate levels. Michigan State University says the average American consumes 75 to 100mg of nitrates per day. About 80 to 90 percent of it comes from vegetables. According to Colorado State University, a diet too high in nitrates can lead to gastric problems. Selecting the right vegetables can help reduce your nitrate levels.

Radishes

According to the University of Missouri, radishes contain more nitrates than any other vegetable. Typical radishes that you buy at the grocery store contain approximately 0.4 to 1.5 percent nitrates. That is 1.8 to 6.8g of nitrates per pound of radishes. This is significantly more than the 0.1g of nitrates the typical American consumes each day.

Find about more about this. How about BEETS, LETTUCE and TURNIPS!

Read the rest of the list

The “No Nitrites Added” Hoax

Facts About Sodium Nitrate

Nitrates and nitrites are chemical compounds commonly used in making cured meat products like bacon and hot dogs. A lot of ink has been spilled discussing the idea that nitrates and nitrites are bad for you, and food manufacturers have introduced all kinds of supposedly "nitrate-free" products to meet the resulting consumer demand.

But what you may not know is that not only are the fears over nitrates completely overblown, but these "nitrate-free" products can actually contain many times more nitrates than conventional products.

Not only that, but a truly nitrate-free hot dog would be much more likely to you sick than a conventional one.

Nitrates and Nitrites

One of the things that happens when sodium nitrate is used as a curing agent is that the sodium nitrate is converted to sodium nitrite. It's sodium nitrite that actually possesses the antimicrobial properties that make it a good preservative. Interestingly, the sodium nitrate that we consume through fruits, vegetables and grains is also converted to sodium nitrite by our digestive process. In other words, when we eat fruits, vegetables or grains, our bodies produce sodium nitrite.

As we have seen here in YOUR HEALTH TODAY, tobacco and smoking dangers have been way overblown over the years as an excuse to raise tax money, nothing more. It is a proven fact that those who smoke a cigar a day, or pipe smokers actually live longer than the average non-smoker. Diseases attributed to cigarettes have more to do with the paper rappers, the glues and the "fillers" than the tobacco itself. Smoking 4 packs a cigarettes a day will probably kill you. Smoking 3 cigarettes a day will probably ad 5 years to your life! And this comes from a non-smoker!

The “No Nitrites Added” Hoax

By Michael Ruhlman | Published: May 10, 2011

Trader Joe's "uncured" bacon/Photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman

During a recent phone call with the excellent Elise of simplyrecipes, Elise wished aloud that I would address the nitrite issue directly. “Trader Joe’s carries it! Go look. Is there one near you?”

Indeed there is, and indeed they sell at least two products pitching themselves as a “healthier” bacon because they don’t add sodium nitrite. This is as odious as those sugar laden granola bars trumpeting “No Fat!” on their label—food marketers preying on a confused consumer who has been taught to fear food because of harmful additives (such as the recent, apparently genuine, Red Dye 40 warnings).

Full disclosure if you don’t already know: I am a vocal bacon advocate, and one of my books, Charcuterie, relies on sodium nitrite and sodium nitrate for many of its recipes to cure foods such as bacon, ham and salami, so take all this with, um … no, I’m too pissed off to pun.

Please, if someone can tell me what is wrong with nitrates (in green vegetables) and nitrites (in curing salts and in our bodies, a powerful antimicrobial agent in our saliva, for instance), I invite them to do so here. In the 70’s there were studies finding that at high temps, they could form nitrosamines, cancer causing compounds. I don’t disagree, but burnt things containing nitrite are bitter and unpleasant so we’re not likely to crave them in harmful quatities.

Aspirin is not bad for you, right? Helps with a morning head and achy joints. It’s even taken for its heart benefits. But eat enough of it and it’s toxic.

Read the rest here>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Aluminum and Vaccines — A Brain-Destroying Duo, Says Top Doc

Aluminum has been added to vaccines for about 90 years in the belief it spurs the body to produce disease-fighting antibodies. But aluminum is toxic, and many common vaccines, including pneumonia, tetanus, and HPV, contain large doses. The result is children are getting amounts that are much higher than those considered safe by regulatory agencies, and adults are adding to the lifetime cumulative amounts of aluminum in their bodies. These megadoses can have a devastating effect on the brain, says Newsmax Health expert Dr. Russell Blaylock, causing everything from brain damage in children to Alzheimer's in adults.

"Aluminum is toxic," Dr. Blaylock tells Newsmax Health. "Compelling research has demonstrated that aluminum is an accumulative neurotoxin, even in small concentrations. It has a tendency to concentrate in the hippocampus, an area of the brain vital to crucial functions including learning, memory, and behavior.

"Recent articles on aluminum have shown that aluminum in vaccines is producing severe problems in the brains of developing children," he says. "The evidence is overwhelming, but many officials and doctors ignore it. They refuse to look at the evidence because it scares them — it's powerful evidence.

"Of the 36 vaccines children get, 18 of them contain aluminum," says Dr. Blaylock. "One article showed that children get doses 46 times higher than those considered safe by government agencies."

Mainstream medicine promotes vaccines to protect children from being crippled or dying from childhood diseases, says Dr. Blaylock. "But that's very rare," he says. "And you're talking about giving perfectly healthy children a vaccine that will cause their brains to develop abnormally, and they will essentially be neurologically ruined for the rest of their lives.

"How can you justify destroying perfectly normal children when the diseases you are fighting are far less common than the complications from the vaccine itself?" he asks.

"It doesn't make sense," he says. "You don't go out and damage the brains of millions of children because 200 children might die from a particular infection." In addition to neurological damage, vaccines suppress the immune system, says Blaylock.

Adults, who are being encouraged to have a number of vaccines that contain aluminum,

Read more: Aluminum and Vaccines — A Brain-Destroying Duo, Says Top Doc
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Hot new tip... eating a curry once (or twice) a week could stave off dementia, say scientists

Few of us need too much encouragement when it comes to heading off to the curry house.

But scientists have come up with one of the best excuses ever: a spicy ingredient in curry could be an effective treatment for Alzheimer's disease.

Tests on fruit flies with a nervous disorder similar to the neurodegenerative illness found those given curcumin - the key chemical in turmeric used in everything from mild Kormas to the hottest Vindaloos - lived 75 per cent longer.

Brain food: Curcumin, an active ingredient found in turmeric, has been linked with a range of potential health benefits. Now scientists say it can combat dementia

Alzheimer's is linked to the build up of knots of protein in the brain called amyloid plaques, damaging the wiring in brain cells.

The findings, published in the journal PLoS One, could help explain why rates of dementia are much lower among the elderly in India than in their Western peers.

Previous research has found Alzheimer's affects just one per cent of people over the age of 65 living in some Indian villages.

Drugs with similar properties to curcumin could potentially be used as preventative treatments.

Facts About Sodium Nitrate and Sodium Nitrite

Facts About Sodium Nitrate

Nitrates and Preserving Foods

Nitrates are used in curing, which is a broad category of techniques for preserving foods, mainly meat and fish, that involves the use of salt, sugar, or some form of dehydration. In each case, the goal is to make the food unattractive to the bacteria that cause food spoilage. This works because bacteria are tiny organisms that require, among other things, moisture, oxygen and food. Take away one of these things and they die.

There's an exception to this rule, and it involves a type of bacteria that can only live in an oxygen-free environment. We'll talk about that in a moment.

Salt as a Food Preservative

One of the earliest methods for curing food involved the use of salt. Salt prevents food spoilage through a process known as osmosis, whereby it basically sucks the moisture out of the bacteria's bodies, killing them by dehydration.

Sodium nitrate is a type of salt that happens to be a particularly effective food preservative. A naturally occurring mineral, sodium nitrate is present in all kinds of vegetables (root veggies like carrots as well as leafy greens like celery and spinach) along with all sorts of fruits and grains. Basically, anything that grows from the ground draws sodium nitrate out of the soil.

If this seems strange, remember that the word nitrate refers to a compound made of nitrogen, which is the single biggest component of our atmosphere. Every time you take a breath, you're breathing 78 percent nitrogen. The soil itself is loaded with the stuff.

Nitrates and Nitrites

Nitrites and Cancer

Several decades ago, some researchers raised the possibility that nitrites could be linked to cancer in laboratory rats. This suggestion received a lot of media attention. What received less media attention, however, was when it turned out that they were wrong. Indeed, the National Academy of Sciences, the American Cancer Society and the National Research Council all agree that there's no cancer risk from consuming sodium nitrite.

Nitrate-Free Products

So what about all those supposedly "nitrate-free" hot dogs, bacon and other so-called "uncured" products? Since completely uncured hot dogs are not palatable to consumers, it's very rare indeed to find a product that is totally nitrate-free. Instead, manufacturers make claims such as "no nitrates added."

The reality is that companies that make nitrate-free hot dogs have to use something to substitute for the sodium nitrate. Celery juice is a popular choice. And guess what celery juice contains lots of? Sodium nitrate. And guess what that sodium nitrate turns into when you eat it? Sodium nitrite!

As we said earlier, celery is a natural source of sodium nitrate. (Notice that no one is currently claiming that celery causes cancer or that people should reduce their intake of celery.) But by adding celery juice to their hot dogs, manufacturers can make products loaded with sodium nitrate while legally being able to claim "no added nitrates." Because all the nitrates are in the celery juice. As a matter of fact, these supposedly "natural" or "organic" products sometimes contain twice as much sodium nitrate, even up to a whopping ten times as much sodium nitrate, as conventional products.

Nitrites and Botulism

So nitrates and nitrites are both harmless and ubiquitous. But is it really possible that eating nitrate-free meats could actually be more dangerous than eating meats that do contain sodium nitrate? The answer is yes.

One special property of sodium nitrite is that it prevents the growth of Clostridium botulinum. One of the most toxic substances known, Clostridium botulinum produces botulism, a paralytic illness that can lead to respiratory failure.

The botulism bacteria is peculiar bug because unlike most microbes, it actually requires an oxygen-free environment to live. Once it hits the air, it dies. So it tends to appear in canned foods, vacuum-packed foods, garlic stored in oil and improperly cured meats. It just so happens that sodium nitrite is especially effective at preventing the growth of Clostridium botulinum.

Conclusions About Nitrates and Nitrites

Given that sodium nitrate occurs naturally in foods like spinach, carrots and celery, as well as the fact that nitrite has never been shown to cause cancer, all the fuss about nitrates and nitrites might seem like typical media-driven hysteria. Moreover, the supposedly "natural" or "organic" versions of these products can contain many times more sodium nitrate than their conventional counterparts. But when you consider the increased likelihood of contracting botulism, it's actually the nitrate-free products that present the real health risk.

SOURCE: ABOUT.COM

The Role of Oxalates in Autism and Chronic Disorders

Written by William Shaw, PhD

March 26 2010

spr10-oxal1a A mummy that had been preserved for a couple of thousand years in the high desert of Chile was discovered upon X-ray examination to have a very large oxalate stone in the kidney, about the size of a golf ball. The discovery of this ancient sufferer is testimony to the fact that kidney stones and oxalate toxicity have afflicted humans for a very long time.

Oxalates (the salt form of oxalic acid) are extremely painful when deposited in the body. About eighty percent of kidney stones are caused by oxalates and they are by far the most common factor in kidney stone formation. There is also a large degree of genetic variability in the ability to detoxify the chemicals that produce oxalates. Perhaps twenty percent of the population has a genetic variance that increases their likelihood of producing oxalates, even when not consuming a high-oxalate diet.

STONED

Oxalates can form all throughout the kidney and the urinary tract, and can also form in the ureter as well as in the bladder. These star-shaped crystalline stones cause pain as the pressure in the urinary filtrate builds up, and perhaps also by tearing into the walls of the urinary tract itself.

spr10-oxal1b

Some kidney stones acquire a stag horn shape, while some oxalate crystals resemble pieces of coral. The crystals do have a lot of calcium in them just as coral does. Oxalate crystals appear in different colors. Some are black and almost look the color of Indian arrowheads made of obsidian. On page 41 is shown a picture of a kidney with one of the oxalate crystals imbedded in it. You can see that the crystal is very pointed. Some of these have extremely sharp ends that cause severe pain.

Kidney stones are one of the most common medical ailments—ten to fifteen percent of adults will be diagnosed with a kidney stone in their lifetime. One million Americans develop kidney stones each year and most of these are oxalate related. Seventy-five to ninety percent of kidney stones are made of oxalic acid bound to another compound, usually calcium.

Once you have experienced a kidney stone attack, you have a very high chance of having another unless you change your way. The common symptoms are pain in the side and the back below the ribs. The episodes of pain last between twenty to sixty minutes, and it is common to hear women who have suffered kidney stones claim that they are more painful than childbirth.

The pain radiates from the side and the back to the lower abdomen and groin. There may be bloody, cloudy and foul-smelling urine. If there is infection, there may also be fever and chills. Pain with urination may accompany nausea and vomiting, and the sufferer may have a persistent urge to urinate.

This last symptom is a common factor in autism. It has been noted that many children with autism urinate perhaps fifty times a day, but only release a small amount of urine each time. After I did my research it became clear that the behavior arose because these children were suffering from kidney stones and high oxalate concentrations. The children would urinate only a small amount at a time since when urinating normally the pressure of the stream causes pain. Frequently releasing small amounts of urine causes much less pain to the child.

NOT JUST IN THE KIDNEYS..... MORE>>>>>>>>

Are house cat feces making people crazy ?

Are parasites from cat droppings living in your brain and influencing the way you think and behave ?

This is the startling conclusion by Czech scientist Jaroslav Flegr who believes that the Toxoplasma gondii parasite found in cat feces can live inside the brain and influence everything from our responses to frightening situations to our social behaviours. Flegr even believes that these parasites are responsible for some car accidents. "Toxoplasma might even kill as many people as malaria, or at least a million people a year," he says.

The parasite, which is excreted by cats in their feces, is called Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii or Toxo for short) and is the microbe that causes toxoplasmosis—the reason pregnant women are told to avoid cats’ litter boxes.

View: Full article |

Source: The Atlantic

Toxic Artificial Sweetener ‘Neotame’ May Be Lurking in Your Organic Food

Mike Barrett
Activist Post

Often marketed as Equal and Nutrasweet, aspartame is a well-known neurotoxic sweetener used in many food products.

This cancer-causing artificial sweetener is threatening the health of populations worldwide, and has even been found to be created using genetically modified bacteria.

While most individuals know about aspartame and its dangers, there is another, lesser known sweetener in the food supply that many people don’t know about – Neotame.

Sex helps 'keep you young' in old age

Staying sexually active in old age keeps your brain ticking, according to a recent study in which 70 percent of those Germans over 75 said they were happy with their antics between the sheets.

But communication problems, illness and social taboo can all hinder a happy sex life for the elderly, according to the “Use it or Lose it” study by the University of Rostock.

Behind the report are scientists at the university hospital who are hoping to end to the stigma surrounding pensioner sex and promote the message that "sex in old age is not only possible, but helps keep you young."

Professor of medical psychology Peter Kropp and medical sociologist Dr Britta Müller interviewed 170 people between the ages of 63 and 75 in 2011. They say their findings make a strong case for the positive role sex can play in the lives of older people.

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Aspirin 'not to blame' for stomach bleeding - that's due to a bug, say scientists

Thousands of patients are unable to take daily aspirin to prevent heart attack and stroke, because of the risk of stomach bleeding.

Instead, they have to be given more expensive and sometimes less effective treatments.

But, now, scientists have identified what they think is the real cause of stomach bleeding linked to aspirin — a common stomach bug.

Low-dose daily aspirin is a lifesaver, helping to prevent blood clots in the arteries supplying the heart and brain

This new theory could transform the way many people with cardiovascular disease are treated.

It also opens up the possibility that otherwise healthy people, who are currently advised not to take a daily aspirin, because of the risk of bleeding, might be able to take it safely for its cancer-preventing benefits.

Low-dose daily aspirin is a lifesaver, helping to prevent blood clots in the arteries supplying the heart and brain.

It is also prescribed for problems such as atrial fibrillation, a common condition that causes an irregular heartbeat, as this can also lead to the formation of blood clots.

Common Food Items Could Contain 180 Times More Fluoride Than Tap Water

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post

Fluoridated tap water and toothpaste are oftentimes considered the main sources of fluoride exposure, but it turns out that common food items could also be largely contributing to your fluoride intake.

According to fluoride expert, Jeff Green, who has been actively protesting and studying the effects of fluoride on the body for other 15 years, one common food product contains up to 180 times more fluoride than your fluoridated tap water!

According to Green, the culprit is non-organic food, but not just one kind.

Benefit of red-wine chemical gets 2nd look

Resveratrol, a chemical found in red wine and dark chocolate, may work differently in the body than first thought, a new study suggests.

“Resveratrol has potential as a therapy for diverse diseases such as Type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease,” said lead study author Dr. Jay Chung, chief of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute’s laboratory of obesity and aging research in Bethseda, Md.

“However, before researchers can transform resveratrol into a safe and effective medicine, they need to know exactly what it targets in cells,” he added in a release.

Read the full story ›

Have we been looking at Multiple Sclerosis all wrong?

Multiple sclerosis is a confusing disease. Widely regarded as an autoimmune problem, it affects millions of sufferers, and we still don't have a complete grasp of what causes it. Part of this problem is due to the fact that every time we find something that seems to be a factor in how it works, that factor doesn't seem universal.

But now there's a new theory of MS that could lead to a radically different treatment for the disease.

Top image: Random 42 Medical Animation.

A new meta-analysis by Dr. Angélique Corthals proposes that much of the difficulty we have with understanding the causes of MS may be because we're wrong about its basic mechanism. In a publication in The Quarterly Review of Biology, she proposes that rather than an autoimmune disease like previously supposed, MS might in fact be a metabolic one with an immune component.

It's a bold assertion to be sure, and one without original data to back it up (at this point, anyway). With MS, the myelin which protects and insulated the nerve tissue on your brain and spinal cord swells, and then scars, leading to neuronal damage. Corthals' theory gives another framework to approach this damage, and one with links to a disease we do understand — atherosclerosis.

This is where things get a bit dense, so bear with me.

Grape seed extract kills head and neck cancer cells, leaves healthy cells unharmed

A study published this week in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models, grape seed extract (GSE) kills head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed.

"It's a rather dramatic effect," says Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

It depends in large part, says Agarwal, on a healthy cell's ability to wait out damage.

"Cancer cells are fast-growing cells," Agarwal says. "Not only that, but they are necessarily fast growing. When conditions exist in which they can't grow, they die."

Grape seed extract creates these conditions that are unfavorable to growth. Specifically, the paper shows that grape seed extract both damages cancer cells' DNA (via increased reactive oxygen species) and stops the pathways that allow repair (as seen by decreased levels of the DNA repair molecules Brca1 and Rad51 and DNA repair foci).

"Yet we saw absolutely no toxicity to the mice, themselves," Agarwal says.

Again, the grape seed extract killed the cancer cells but not the healthy cells.

http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-grape-seed-neck-cancer-cells.html

McDonald’s Forced to Stop Using Ammonia-Tainted ‘Pink Slime’ in Meat

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post

McDonald’s has recently caved to consumer demands to cease the utilization of ‘pink slime’ scrap meat covered with ammonium hydroxide in their hamburgers and chicken sandwiches.

The announcement highlights the fact that there are many health-crushing additives within the McDonald’s menu, and the reason that their hamburgers absolutely wreak havoc on your body actually has little to do with their high calorie and fat content. In fact, McDonald’s absolutely loves when health professionals neglect to mention the toxic ingredients hidden in their food.

The change was mostly made possible by Jamie Oliver, a celebrity chef who has recently gone on a campaign against the fast food giant.

Sayer Ji, Contributing Writer
Activist Post

The scientific literature indicates that there are at least two dozen adverse health effects linked to exposure to mineral oil, a crude oil derivative. New research indicates these fat-soluble hydrocarbons are accumulating to disturbing levels in our bodies, and affecting newborns by contaminating breast milk.

How did they get there? Mineral oil is legally allowed to be added to our foods, drugs and cosmetics, where they accumulate in our bodies over time, with the highest concentrations found in our fat deposits. One autopsy study performed in 1985, revealed that 48% of the livers and 46% of the spleens of the 465 autopsies analyzed showed signs of mineral-oil induced lipogranuloma (a nodule of necrotic, fatty tissue associated with granulomatous inflammation or a foreign-body reaction around a deposit of an oily substance), indicating just how widespread pathological tissue changes associated with exposure really are.

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post

Will hundreds of more websites soon be popping up telling the tragic tales of young men whose lives were riddled with adverse effects after receiving the Gardasil vaccine? Based on the devastating history of the HPV shot Gardasil, the answer is most likely an unfortunate ‘yes’.

Following the advice of an advisory panel who failed to examine the high number of adverse reactions and deaths associated with Gardasil use, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is now recommending that all boys between the ages of 11 and 12-years-old receive the Gardasil shot.

The advisory panel and the CDC both fail to mention that Gardasil was linked to 3,589 harmful reactions and 16 deaths between May 2009 and September 2010 alone, which could be of major concern to parents considering injecting their children with the shot. Permanent disability was the result of 213 cases; 25 resulted in the diagnosis of Guillain-Barre Syndrome; and there were 789 other “serious” reports according to FDA documents.

Suzanne Somers: Birth Control Pills May Have Caused My Breast Cancer Read more: Suzanne Somers: Birth Control Pills May Have Caused My Breast Cancer

When Suzanne was diagnosed with breast cancer a decade ago, she underwent a lumpectomy to remove the tumor, but refused to have the conventional reconstruction surgery most women undergo to rebuild the breast.

The reason: She believed medical research would lead to a better way to restore her body and was willing to wait for it. Last summer, the wait ended when she became the first woman in the United States to undergo a pioneering new procedure: stem cell breast reconstruction. Today, she is spreading the word on the option so other women may be able to make a similar choice.

When speaking to Newsmax Health, Suzanne revealed for the first time what she believes was the cause of her cancer.

Read more: Suzanne Somers: Birth Control Pills May Have Caused My Breast Cancer
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Fish Oil Prevents Heart Arrhythmia

In a new study of some 3,000 older adults, those with the highest levels of omega-3 fatty acids in their blood were 30 percent less likely to develop an irregular heartbeat over the next 14 years than peers with the lowest blood levels of omega-3s.

"A 30 percent lower risk of the most common chronic arrhythmia in the United States population is a pretty big effect," said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, senior author of the new report and a professor at the Harvard School of Public Health.

According to some estimates, up to 9 percent of Americans will develop atrial fibrillation, a heart-rhythm abnormality that can lead to stroke and heart failure, by the time they reach their 80s.

There are few treatments for the condition and they largely center on preventing strokes with blood-thinning drugs.

Read more: Study: Fish Oil Prevents Heart Arrhythmia
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Facts on Smoking You are Not Told, or Why George Burns Lived to 100!

by Robert R. Barney

We are running a series of articles in our YOUR HEALTH TODAY section which I think will absolutely blow most of our readers today! Over the past 40 years, we have been overwhelmed with the evils of smoking. The message has basically been, SMOKE ONE CIGARETTE and YOU WILL DIE A DAY YOUNGER! Have you ever thought of any benefits of smoking? Honestly, could there be any benefits? Well I did my own investigation and guess what? Smoking in moderation may actually be GOOD for you! I know that smacks in the face of everything science and government has been telling us, but sometimes governments LIE! Here are just a few examples of FACTS I bet you don't know:

-- Q10 is made from Tobacco
-- Smoking Reduces both Parkinson Disease AND Alzheimers!
-- Smoking increases certain hormones and can act similar to Viagra!
-- A Reduced risk in women who smoke to Colon Cancer
-- Moderate Cigar or Non-Filtered Cigarettes may actually help you live Longer

I realize that this sounds like I have gone bonkers, but friends, every statement I have made has proven science behind it and I document it below! Drinking wine can kill you. If you drink two to thee bottles of wine a day, you will probably be at a much greater risk of developing a host of diseases related to alcoholism, yet we know that those who drink a glass a day statistically live longer than tea-tottlers. The same seems to apply to smoking. Very low doses of smoking (a Cigar or two once a week or two or three NON-FILTERED cigarettes a day) actually helps our bodies. It has been documented for years that Japanese men out smoke American men yet have lower incidences of lung cancer! ( http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/cgi/content/full/10/11/1193 )

One looks at people like George Burns who lived to be 100, smoking a cigar his entire life. Would he have lived to 150 if he didn't smoke? Well, the evidence I am presenting suggests that he lived that long BECAUSE he smoked.

If you notice,whenever I mentioned cigarette smoking, I always wrote of NON-FILTERED cigarettes. Again, big businees like the tobacco companies and our government know that the filters on these cigarettes are much more harmful than the tobacco smoke! More than 90% of the cigarettes sold worldwide have a filter. Nearly all filters consist of a rod of numerous ( > 12 000) plastic-like cellulose acetate fibres. During high speed cigarette manufacturing procedures, fragments of cellulose acetate that form the mouthpiece of a filter rod become separated from the filter at the end face. The cut surface of the filter of nearly all cigarettes has these fragments. In smoking a cigarette in the usual manner, some of these fragments are released during puffing. In addition to the cellulose acetate fragments, carbon particles are released also from some cigarette brands that have a charcoal filter. Cigarettes with filters that release cellulose acetate or carbon particles during normal smoking conditions are defective. Philip Morris, Inc has known of this filter defect for more than 40 years.
results of investigations substantiating defective filters have been concealed from the smoker and the health community. The tobacco industry has been negligent in not performing toxicological examinations and other studies to assess the human health risks associated with regularly ingesting and inhaling non-degradable, toxin coated cellulose acetate fragments and carbon microparticles and possibly other components that are released from conventional cigarette filters during normal smoking. The rationale for harm assessment is supported by the results of consumer surveys that have shown that the ingestion or inhalation of cigarette filter fibres are a health concern to nearly all smokers. (From “Cigarettes with defective filters marketed for 40 years: what Philip Morris never told smokers” (Tobacco Control 2002;11:i51-i61):)

Check out a host of stories we have on this subject on http://journals.aol.com/plaintruthtoday/your-health-today

Notes and References

1) The miracle supplement (for skin, heart, brain rejuvenation) Coenzyme Q10 is extracted from tobacco leaf! http://www.ritecare.com/prodsheets/and-503000.html
Dr. Ricjard A. Kunin extols the benefits of Coenzyme Q10. He also says: The energy of oxidation in cells depends on CoQ in partnership with niacinamide (vitamin B3), riboflavin (vitamin B2), and minerals such as iron and copper to effect the movement of electrons and hydrogen protons in the power plant of cell, the mitochondrion. Incidentally, tobacco leaf is the champion source, containing 184 mg in a quarter pound. Note that the doctor follows with the disclaimer, "In fact, the Japanese companies make their CoQ from tobacco, however it is only released by means of bacterial fermentation not by smoking." The fact remains that CoQ 10 is a natural miracle for the human body and it's chief source is tobacco!

2) Smoking Reduces Parkinson's Disease: Studies world-wide has notice that smokers have a significally lower incidence of getting the disease, yet this is never mentioned in any of the anti-smoking campaigns.

Neurology. 1999 Sep 22;53(5):1158. Smoking and Parkinson's disease: a dose-response relationship Gorell JM, Rybicki BA, Johnson CC, Peterson EL
Department of Neurology, Henry Ford Health System, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center in Molecular and Cellular Toxicology with Human Applications, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.

Also see Smoking lowers Parkinson's disease risk from Reuters (Mar 20, 2007).

From “Temporal relationship between cigarette smoking and risk of Parkinson disease” (NEUROLOGY 2007;68:764-768):

3) The by-product of smoking (Nitric Oxide) helps in opening our arteries! Nitric oxide stimulates peripheral circulation (this is the mechanism behind Viagra effect).Low concentration carbon monoxide (as found in tobacco smoke) protects cells in harsh conditions, such as low oxygen and general cell death

4) Smoking actually increases GROWTH Hormones! Like testosterone and DHEA.
source: Geriatrics & Gerontology International (Volume 6 Issue 1 Page 49-52, March 2006)Relation of age and smoking to serum levels of total testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate in aged men in , which found these results, "Serum T did not decrease with age, and was significantly higher in smokers than for non-smokers. Serum DHEA decreased with age more sharply in non-smokers than for smokers."

5) Smoking reduces IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1)--at least in males for sure. In animal experiments, lowered insuline growth factor IGF-1 change extends lifespan.

6) Reduced Incidence of Colorectal Cancer--especially in women.

Cigarette Smoking and the Risk of Colorectal Cancer in Women (Journal of the National Cancer Institute, Vol. 80, No. 16, 1329-1333, October 19, 1988) states, "Colorectal cancer incidence rates for smokers, nonsmokers living with smokers (i.e., passive smokers), and non-smokers in smoke-free households were compared in a 12-year prospective study of 25, 369 women who participated in a private census conducted in Washington County, MD, in 1963. Women who smoked had a decreased relative risk of colorectal cancer compared with the risk for nonsmokers (age-adjusted relative risk, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.52–1.10). The risk for passive smokers was similar to that for smokers. The relative risks were significantly reduced for older women; relative risks were 0.42 for smokers and 0.66 for passive smokers over age 65. The data suggest that older women who smoke have a lower risk of colorectal cancer than non-smokers. The effect may be mediated by an antiestrogenic effect of smoking."

7) People who smoke fare better than nonsmokers when exposed to occupational hazards.
From Lack of combined effects of exposure and smoking on respiratory health in aluminium potroom workersBritish Medical Journal, Occupational and Environmental Medicine (Vol 56, 468-472, 1999):

8) Cigarette smoking may be an independent protective factor for developing schizophrenia. These results are consistent with animal models showing both neuroprotective effects of nicotine and differential release of prefrontal dopamine in response to nicotine.
From Cancer in schizophrenia: is the risk higher or lower? in Schizophrenia Research (Volume 73, Issue 2, Pages 333-341) at http://www.schres-journal.com/article/PIIS0920996404002130/abstract :
The incidence of cancer in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia was compared with the incidence in the general population. The results showed that the cancer standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) for all sites were significantly lower among men and women with schizophrenia, 0.86 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.80–0.93] and 0.91 (95% CI 0.85–0.97), respectively. This reduced overall risk was clearest for those born in Europe–America, both men (SIR 0.85, 95% CI 0.74–0.97) and women (SIR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77–0.94).
Appetite Suppressant -- no citations. Common sense. Most stimulants are appetite suppressants, and nicotine does seem to be a stimulant.

9) Tobacco: the definitive link in healthy aging by Daniel John Richard Date.
Reduces incidence of Alzheimer's, among other degenerative diseases.

"A statistically significant inverse association between smoking and Alzheimer's disease was observed at all levels of analysis, with a trend towards decreasing risk with increasing consumption" (International Journal of Epidemiology, 1991)

"The risk of Alzheimer's disease decreased with increasing daily number of cigarettes smoked before onset of disease. . . . In six families in which the disease was apparently inherited . . . the mean age of onset was 4.17 years later in smoking patients than in non-smoking patients from the same family" (British Medical Journal, June 22, 1991)

"Although more data are needed . . . [an analysis of 19 studies suggests] nicotine protects against AD" (Neuroepidemiology, 1994)

Nicotine injections significantly improved certain types of mental functioning in Alzheimer's patients (Psychopharmacology, 1992).

One theory: nicotine improves the responsiveness of Alzheimer's patients to acetylcholine, an important brain chemical.

“When chronically taken, nicotine may result in: (1) positive reinforcement [it makes you feel good], (2) negative reinforcement [it may keep you from feeling bad], (3) reduction of body weight [by reducing appetite and increasing metabolic rate], (4) enhancement of performance, and protection against: (5) Parkinson's disease, (6) Tourette's disease [tics], (7) Alzheimer's disease, (8) ulcerative colitis and (9) sleep apnea. The reliability of these effects varies greatly but justifies the search for more therapeutic applications for this interesting compound." ("Beneficial Effects of Nicotine," Jarvik, British Journal of Addiction, 1991)

See more on smoking and reduced incidence of Alzheimer's disease. In this compilation of 19 studies, 15 found a reduce risk in smokers, and none found an increased risk. Also noted is the fact that acute administration of nicotine improves attention and information processing in AD patients, which adds further plausibility to the hypothesis.
Smoking is Good for You: Absence, Presence, and the Ecumenical Appeal of Indian Islamic Healing Centers
In Shop owner says smoking 'doesn't cause disease' a shop owner "tells his customers that smoking calms the nerves and soothes the mind." This is in sync with what Albert Einstein stated upon becoming a lifetime member of the Montreal Pipe Smokers Club at the age of 71, "I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs."

Facts on Smoking

Smoking Does Not Cause Lung Cancer! (According to WHO/CDC Data)*

By: James P. Siepmann, MD

Yes, it is true, smoking does not cause lung cancer. It is only one of many risk factors for lung cancer. I initially was going to write an article on how the professional literature and publications misuse the language by saying "smoking causes lung cancer"1,2, but the more that I looked into how biased the literature, professional organizations, and the media are, I modified this article to one on trying to put the relationship between smoking and cancer into perspective. (No, I did not get paid off by the tobacco companies, or anything else like that.)

When the tobacco executives testified to Congress that they did not believe that smoking caused cancer, their answers were probably truthful and I agree with that statement. Now, if they were asked if smoking increases the risk of getting lung cancer, then their answer based upon current evidence should have be "yes." But even so, the risk of a smoker getting lung cancer is much less than anyone would suspect. Based upon what the media and anti-tobacco organizations say, one would think that if you smoke, you get lung cancer (a 100% correlation) or at least expect a 50+% occurrence before someone uses the word "cause."

http://www.journaloftheoretics.com/Editorials/Vol-1/e1-4.htm

Benefits of Smoking???

Nicotine's protective effect against neurodegenerative disorders

While the health risks of tobacco are well known, several studies have shown that people with a history of cigarette smoking have lower rates of neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. However, the explanations for nicotine's neuroprotective effects continue to be debated.

Now a team of neuroscientists at the University of South Florida College of Medicine presents new evidence of an anti-inflammatory mechanism in the brain by which nicotine may protect against nerve cell death. Their study was published today in the Journal of Neurochemistry.

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/6544.php