The Plain Truth's: Your Health Today ONLINE

Beef Can Help Lower Cholesterol

Despite commonly held beliefs, beef can play a role in lowering bad cholesterol, according to a new study conducted at Pennsylvania State College.

The study published in the January issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that diets including daily consumption of lean beef “are as effective in lowering total and LDL ‘bad’ cholesterol as the ‘gold standard’ of heart-healthy diets” known as DASH, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension.

“This research sheds new light on evidence supporting lean beef’s role in a heart-healthy diet. Study participants ate lean beef every day and still met targets for saturated fat intake,” nutrition professor Penny Kris-Etherton, the study’s chief investigator, said in a statement about the findings. “This study shows that nutrient-rich lean beef can be included as part of a heart-healthy diet that improves risk factors for cardiovascular disease.”

The study focused on 36 participants ranging in ages from 30 to 65 with moderately elevated cholesterol. All consumed a total of four diets for five weeks each, with the optimal beef diets consisting of 4 to 5.4 ounce daily servings. At the end of the study, the participants showed a 10 percent decrease in LDL cholesterol on the beef diets.

The researchers said the improvements in heart health risk factors seen from optimal beef diets “were as effective” as those from the DASH and other diets, some which emphasize plant proteins.

The study’s conclusions were welcomed by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, which issued a statement saying, “Americans now have more scientific evidence for including lean beef in a heart-healthy diet.”

Read more: Study: Beef Can Help Lower Cholesterol
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

A glass of water has DNA traces of EVERY living thing in a whole lake - and it could change the way we monitor animals forever

Lets biologists 'count' animals - not just number of species
Works on anything from an otter to a dragonfly
Biologists still currently use 'manual' head counts
DNA method is as reliable as manual
In future, could even be used for fish quotas

By Rob Waugh

The DNA traces in a single shot glass are enough to identify not only the species living around a lake - but how many of each animal there are. It works for anything from otters to dragonflies

Up until now, 'monitoring' animals has relied on fairly low-tech methods - finding the creatures and counting them.

It's a method that's changed little in the last hundred years, even if biologists have added GPS tagging and computer monitoring once they've found the beasts.

But a Danish research team has found an incredible short-cut – a lake water sample the size of a shot-glass can contain evidence of an entire lake fauna.

It's so effective in counting not only which creatures are present, but how many, that the researchers think that in future it may even be used to count fishing quotas.

Researchers at the Natural History Museum of Denmark found that rare and threatened animal species could be monitored simply by taking note of the DNA traces in fresh water environments.

'In the water samples we found DNA from animals as different as an otter and a dragonfly,' says Philip Francis Thomsen.

'We have shown that the DNA detection method works on a wide range of different rare species living in fresh water - they all leave DNA traces in their environment which can be detected in even very small water samples from their habitat.

'In the water samples we found DNA from animals as different as an otter and a dragonfly,' says Philip Francis Thomsen

By studying the fauna of one hundred different lakes and streams in Europe with both conventional methods - counting individuals - and the new DNA-based method the research team documents that DNA detection is effective even in populations where the animals are extremely rare.

The study also shows that there is a clear correlation between the amount of DNA in the environment and the density of individuals meaning that the DNA detection method can even be used to estimate population sizes.

Pregnant women and new mothers are 70 times more likely to get tuberculosis

Pregnant women are at much higher risk of tuberculosis, researchers claim.

A major study has found that expectant mothers or those who have given birth within the past six months are 69 per cent more likely to get the illness.

The researchers from the Health Protection Agency warned midwives and GPs to look out for the symptoms of TB because it can be fatal if not treated.

Their study – published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine – examined the medical records of more than 190,000 women over 12 years.

They found the rate of TB among pregnant women or those who had given birth within the past six months was 15.4 per 100,000 compared with 9.1 per 100,000 among the general population.

They believe pregnancy may weaken a woman’s immune system, making her more susceptible to respiratory illnesses.

Cutting carbs for two days 'better than calorie counting all week'

Following a strict diet for just two days of the week is a far more effective way to lose weight than trying to calorie count all the time, researchers claim.

They found that women who stuck to fruit, vegetables and lean meat for two days a week while being allowed to eat as much as they liked on the other days lost nearly twice as much weight than those who were dieting constantly.

Researchers at the University Hospital in South Manchester put 115 women volunteers on one of three diets.

The first involved sticking to just 650 calories a day for two days of the week, including cutting out carbohydrates such as pasta, bread and potatoes and all fatty foods.

For the other five days they could eat as much as they liked, although they were encouraged to stick to healthy foods.

Women on the second diet were also banned from carbohydrates for two days of the week but they did not have a specific calorie limit.

They could also eat as much as they wanted the rest of the week.

The third group followed a standard weight-loss diet which involved sticking to about 1,500 calories every day and avoiding high-fat foods and alcohol.

After three months the women on either of the two-day diets had lost an average of nine pounds (four kilos) – nearly twice as much as those on the full-time diet, who lost just five pounds (2.4 kilos).

Dr Michelle Harvie, of the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Centre at the hospital, said there seemed to be a ‘carry over effect’ on the two-day diet, meaning the benefits continued on the days when the women ate normally.

Organic Gardening 101 -- How to Start an Organic Garden

Anthony Gucciardi
Activist Post

One great way to avoid the threat of genetically modified foods, pesticides, and toxic additives is to start your own organic garden.

While the garden can be as large or small as you’d like, the benefit of knowing exactly how your food was prepared, and therefore what is in it, is worth the time and effort.

As you will soon find, it is actually relatively simple to begin your first organic garden.

Breast Cancer Screening May Do More Harm than Good

Screening for breast cancer may cause more harm than good because it leads to unnecessary surgery, British researchers said.

Screening may lead to abnormal results that turn out to be normal and treatment of harmless cancers that would never have caused symptoms or death, according to research led by James Raftery, a professor of health-technology assessment at the University of Southampton. The study, published in the British Medical Journal, analyzed 100,000 women ages 50 and over and found that the inclusion of false positives and unnecessary surgery reduced the benefits of screening by half.

The study follows the Forrest report of 1986, which measured costs and benefits from screening in quality-adjusted life years. That study omitted harmful effects from screening, the researchers said.

“Harms largely offset the gains up to 10 years, after which the gains accumulate at an increasing rate,” Raftery wrote in the published paper. “The meaning and implications of overdiagnosis and overtreatment need to be much better explained and communicated to any woman considering screening.”

More research is required on the extent of unnecessary treatment and the impact on quality of life, the researchers said.

Read more: Breast Cancer Screening May Do More Harm than Good
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Big Differences in How Men and Women Cope with Type 2 Diabetes

Women are better at coping with problems than men, right? Not when it comes to being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. According to a new survey, that diagnosis had a greater negative impact on women's emotional outlook and adherence to diet and exercise than the same diagnosis given to men. The survey was conducted in September 2011, and included 831 completed responses from 458 women and 373 men.

"These findings make sense," says Dr. Carolyn Daitch, Director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders in Farmington Hills, Michigan. Dr. Daitch is a psychologist with 30 years of experience treating anxiety in patients with chronic medical conditions such as diabetes. "So many women are caretakers, and this makes it harder for them to carve out time to care for themselves."

Half of the women surveyed said they felt "overwhelmed" when it comes to living with diabetes, while less than one third of men reported similar feelings. And just over half of the women respondents admitted to feeling in control of their diabetes, compared to more than two thirds of men.

"Feeling ‘overwhelmed' may be because diabetes impacts so many body systems and so many behaviors at home and at the workplace," adds Sarah Matunis, RPh, a pharmacist and corporate clinical coordinator for Rite-Aid who collaborated on the study with WebMD.

According to the survey, gender also plays a role in maintaining healthy lifestyle behaviors. Just over one third of women respondents said they exercise 30 minutes or more daily, while nearly half of the men reported that they do. Women also are less likely to say they eat well, with just 45 percent avoiding sweet and salty snacks, compared to 56 percent of men.

"Anecdotally, women overeat when they are under stress, while men tend to overeat because food tastes good," points out Dr. Daitch. "Learning you have diabetes is certainly an added stressor. Women tend to put themselves last, so it's harder for them to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Furthermore, women are more prone to anxiety and depression, which leads to pessimism."

MORE>>>>>>>

Patients Get More Unnecessary Medical Scans from Doctors Who Own Equipment, Study Finds

By Katherine Harmon
(Click here for the original article)

More and more physicians are investing in their own imaging equipment. But when a doctor stands to make money on each MRI he or she orders, it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out that they might be inclined to order too many scans.

Patients with back problems whose orthopedic surgeons referred them for an MRI were much more likely to have their spinal lumbar scan come back clean—indicating that the test might not have been necessary—if their doc had a financial stake in the equipment being used, than if he or she didn’t, according to new findings that were presented this week at the Radiological Society of North America’s annual meeting in Chicago.

“It is important for patients to be aware of the problem of self-referral and to understand the conflict of interest that exists when their doctor orders an imaging exam and then collects money on that imaging exam,” said Ben Paxton, a radiology resident who led the study at Duke University Medical Center in a prepared statement.

Of 250 spine lumbar MRIs ordered by orthopedic surgeons who had financial interest in the imaging equipment, 106 scans came back negative—that is, without serious abnormalities. Of the 250 lumbar MRIs ordered by orthopedic surgeons in the same area who would not see an extra penny from the scans, 57 came back negative.

Video Games Alter Brain Function

Playing violent video games for only one week can change the brain in regions associated with cognitive function and emotional control.

The topic of whether or not violent video games are potentially harmful for users has been debated for years, but there was little scientific evidence that the games had a long-term effect on the brain. But a new study, which was conducted at Indiana University School of Medicine, found the first hard evidence of the effects of video games using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Read more: Video Games Alter Brain Function
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Eating Eggs, Chicken May Boost Memory

A new long-term study announced last week found that eggs and chicken may sharpen your memory.

Senior researcher Rhoda Au and her team from Boston University School of Medicine performed the long-term health study on 1,400 adults, spanning 10 years. Those participants who ate diets packed with plenty of choline performed better in memory tests and were less likely to acquire brain changes associated with dementia than those who consumed less choline in their diets.

Read more: Eating Eggs, Chicken May Boost Memory
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Seniors in Danger from Common Drugs

Older people run twice the risk of being treated in emergency rooms for adverse reactions to drugs than those under the age of 65. One reason is that older bodies don’t eliminate drugs as easily as younger ones do, and seniors also take many more medications than younger people. Multiple medications multiply the risk of side effects, say experts.

“If you take three medications that have sedation as a possible side effect, then the compounding effect may not be 1+1+1=3, but 3x3x3=27,” Todd Semla, an expert on drug treatment for older adults, told “Consumer Reports on Health.”

Check out the medical conditions listed below and the drugs commonly prescribed to treat them. If you’re a senior citizen and your doctor prescribes any of them for you, ask if there’s a safer alternative.

Read more: Seniors in Danger from Common Drugs
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Study: Vitamin D Prevents Heart Deaths

In people with low blood levels of vitamin D, boosting them with supplements more than halved a person's risk of dying from any cause compared to someone who remained deficient, in a large new study.

Analyzing data on more than 10,000 patients, University of Kansas researchers found that 70 percent were deficient in vitamin D and they were at significantly higher risk for a variety of heart diseases.

D-deficiency also nearly doubled a person's likelihood of dying, whereas correcting the deficiency with supplements lowered their risk of death by 60 percent.

"We expected to see that there was a relationship between heart disease and vitamin D deficiency; we were surprised at how strong it was," Dr. James L. Vacek, a professor of cardiology at the University of Kansas Hospital and Medical Center, told Reuters Health.

"It was so much more profound than we expected."

Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to a range of illnesses, but few studies have demonstrated the reverse -- that supplements could prevent those outcomes.

Read more: Study: Vitamin D Prevents Heart Deaths
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Canned Soup Sends BPA Levels Soaring

People who ate canned soup for five days straight saw their urinary levels of the chemical bisphenol A spike 1,200 percent compared to those who ate fresh soup, U.S. researchers said on Tuesday.

The randomized study, described as "one of the first to quantify BPA levels in humans after ingestion of canned foods," was done by Harvard University researchers and appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association's November 23 issue.

"We've known for a while that drinking beverages that have been stored in certain hard plastics can increase the amount of BPA in your body," said lead author Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the Department of Epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health.

Read more: Canned Soup Sends BPA Levels Soaring
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Blame the CDC for Slow Progress Against Hospital Infections

In the emergency room with my injured daughter, I watched as rules to protect patients from infection were disregarded: a nurse wearing bangle bracelets (carrying bacteria from patient to patient); doctors touching contaminated privacy curtains and then their patients; the uncleaned stethoscope pressed on one bare back after another, caregivers pulling on gloves without cleaning their hands first, which contaminates the outside of the gloves and offers patients no protection.

On October 19, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced “impressive progress” in reducing hospital infections. That statement is as misleading as the gloves. Some hospitals are aggressively preventing infections, but the CDC’s shockingly timid goals give other hospitals a pass to do too little.

Read more on Newsmax.com: Blame the CDC for Slow Progress Against Hospital Infections
Important: Do You Support Pres. Obama's Re-Election? Vote Here Now!

Energy Drinks Send Thousands to the ER Each Year

ER Visits From Drinking Energy Drinks Jump Tenfold Since 2005, Report Says

By Brenda Goodman, MA
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Hansa D. Bhargava, MD, FAAP

Nov. 22, 2011 -- There's been a big spike in the number of people who need emergency medical attention after they guzzle popular caffeinated energy drinks, according to a new government report.

The report shows a more than a tenfold increase in the number of emergency room visits tied to the use of these drinks between 2005 and 2009.

In 2005, 1,128 ER visits were associated with the use of energy drinks compared to 13,114 in 2009. That number peaked in 2008 with more than 16,000 ER visits linked to energy drinks.

Beverage manufacturers fired back at the statistics, charging that they are misleading since they are being taken out of context.

"Of the more than 123 million visits made to emergency room facilities each year, less than one one-hundredth of one percent involved people who consumed energy drinks according to this report," says the American Beverage Association in a statement.

"Even so, this report shares no information about the overall health of those who allegedly consumed energy drinks, or even what symptoms brought them to the ER in the first place," the statement says.

Energy Drinks and the ER---MORE>>>>>>>>>>>

Pomegranate helps fight heart disease, relieves stress and improves sex life - now it's nature's elixir of youth, claims study

It can help to prevent heart disease, relieve stress and has even been shown to improve your sex life.

And if that was not enough to convince you to try pomegranate, the fruit is now being hailed as the elixir of youth.

A £2million study has found a daily dose could slow the ageing process of DNA.

An extract of the whole fruit – including pith, peel and seeds – was given to 60 volunteers every day for a month in the form of a capsule.

Researchers monitored the activity of chemicals in their bodies compared with those who took a placebo.

They found a significant decrease in a marker associated with cell damage, which can cause impaired brain, muscle, liver and kidney function as well as ageing effects on the skin.

This decrease – a hitherto unknown benefit of consuming pomegranate – is thought to slow down the oxidation, or ‘rusting’, of the DNA in cells which naturally occurs over time, according to researchers at the private ProbelteBio laboratory in Murcia, Spain.

They are found in small quantities in the juice but mainly in the inedible rind, husk and white pith which has been harnessed into a pill and a drink.

More...

It's a fair crop, guv: Police put on ID parade for these VEGETABLES after allotment thefts

Dr Sergio Streitenberger, who led the study, funded by Pomegreat PurePlus, said: ‘We are very excited about this study which we believe demonstrates that regular consumption of this pomegranate extract can slow down the process of DNA oxidation

'One way to look at ageing is to think of it as rusting, or oxidising, a damaging process. Being able to guard against this process would be a significant breakthrough.’

Pomegranate has been renowned as a superfood for centuries, and has been found to contain vitamins A, C and E as well as iron and antioxidants

Dr Streitenberger’s team – whose study will be published later this month – found a decrease in levels of a chemical marker called 8-Oxo-DG in the participants’ urine tests.

5 Nutrients to Cut Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (or hypertension) increases risk of stroke, kidney failure, and heart attack, and affects 30 percent of U.S. adults, says the Centers for Disease Control.

Since high blood pressure is symptomless, regular checks are important. A normal reading is 120/80. Anything over 140/90 is considered high.

Many factors, including weight, salt intake, stress, age, and family history, can increase the odds of developing high blood pressure.

For a natural, drug-free approach to keeping blood pressure in check, try these nutrients, which you can find in supplements or foods:

Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). A study at the University of Western Australia found those taking 100 mg of CoQ10 twice a day reduced systolic and diastolic pressure when compared to those not taking CoQ10.

Foods rich in CoQ10 include beef, fish, eggs, whole grains, and vegetables like broccoli and spinach.

Garlic. A team of researchers at University of Adelaide in South Australia reviewed 11 studies examining the link between garlic and high blood pressure and found significant decreases in blood pressure levels of the patients who consumed garlic.

However, garlic can thin the blood, so be sure to consult with a physician before taking garlic supplements.

Folic acid (folate). A type of B vitamin, folic acid helps lower blood levels of the amino acid homocysteine. One study of more than 9,000 Americans found that those who had the highest daily intake of folic acid (400 mcg) lowered their risk of stroke 79 percent when compared to those people who consumed the least (100 mcg) amount of folic acid. Whole wheat pasta and breads are good sources.

Fish oil. Omega-3 fish oil contains both DHA (docosahexanoic acid) and EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid), but DHA may be more beneficial than EPA in lowering blood pressure.

The American Heart Association recommends eating fatty fish, such as tuna, mackerel, or salmon, at least twice a week.

Quercetin. This plant-based flavonoid not only lowers blood pressure better than a commonly used antihypertensive drug, but it also prevents enlargement of the heart, which is a major complication of high blood pressure. The typical amount for adults is 100 to 250 mg three times per day. Food sources include citrus fruits, apples, onions, parsley, and tea.

Read more: 5 Nutrients to Cut Blood Pressure
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Does the Pill Cause Prostate Cancer?

Are birth control pills to blame for the high rates of prostate cancer? There's no proof, but a provocative new study showed a link between use of the Pill and the number of new cases as well as deaths from prostate cancer.

Researchers at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto compared rates of prostate cancer cases and deaths in 87 countries with rates of contraceptive use including intrauterine devices, condoms, and vaginal barrier contraceptives. But apart from the Pill, a correlation "was not found among other contraceptive methods," said lead author Dr. David Margel.

Why the connection?

Read more: Does the Pill Cause Prostate Cancer?
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Try before you buy: Scanner lets patients pick and choose virtual breast enhancements

New software produces a 3D image of patient's body and simulates the expected results of plastic surgery
Nose jobs, liposuction and chin implants can also be digitally reconstructed for £200 a time

By Sadie Whitelocks

Last updated at 4:33 PM on 11th November 2011

Chloe Sims, who has already had breast enlargements, tested the new 3D imaging system to see what bottom implants would look like

Before going under the surgeon's knife, patients can 'virtually' try out different sized breast implants.

Thanks to a new 3D scanner women can see what their body would look like after breast enhancement surgery.

Nose jobs, liposuction and chin implants can also be digitally reconstructed for £200 a time.

The Vectra 3-D modeling system - which is currently only available at London clinic Simply Better Breasts - is already proving a hit in the UK and The Only Way Is Essex star Chloe Sims, 29, recently used the technology to select buttock implants to enhance her petite figure.

Already known for having numerous face and breast surgeries, the reality star met with 3D imaging specialists to find out more about how the derriere enhancing procedure works and what the results would look like.

Medics claim that most patients have been selecting smaller assets than originally intended after using the imaging service.

They noticed that many considering breast augmentation ended up choosing implants only one or two cup sizes bigger - with the average being a C cup.

More...

'When we make changes to the breasts on the computer, we can see a very realistic and accurate view of how they will look after surgery.

'It also allows us to view the body from different angles, reassuring the patient and allowing them to make an educated decision.' Surgeon Miles Berry told The Sun.

Thanks to a new 3D scanner, available at London clinic Simply Better Breasts, women can virtually see what their body would look like after breast enhancement surgery

Developed in New Jersey in the U.S. the machine works by producing a three dimensional photograph of the patient's body.

The software then simulates the expected results of a variety of surgical procedures, allowing patients to view the specific area from multiple angles.

Dr. Mark Epstein, from the Center for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in New York, where the service is also available said: 'My patients absolutely love this.

'For the first time, they're able to see a 3D picture of themselves with their new look. Because it's in 3D, I can rotate their picture to any viewpoint, and they can really examine the desired result.

Nose jobs and chin implants can also be digitally simulated for £200 a time

'We can make changes here and there and agree on a final look in advance, and this truly helps them make a decision.'

Vaccine that could end the misery of acne for millions of teenagers

It is a condition that blights the lives of millions of teenagers and young adults.

Now scientists have made a breakthrough in the hunt for something of a medical holy grail – a treatment for acne.

A vaccine which promises to halt a key cause of the unsightly and painful condition could be available within as little as five years, they say.

Hope ahead: Scientists believe a vaccine to cure acne could be available within as little as five years

The breakthrough approach is a departure from current treatments, which mostly rely on antibiotics to ‘blitz’ the bacteria that cause spots.

The medicines can upset the skin’s natural balance and leave some sufferers at risk of scarring. Scientists at the University of California at San Diego are working in partnership with the world’s biggest vaccine company, Sanofi Pasteur, to create the jab.

More...

Diabetes breakthrough could save sufferers from drawing blood by testing tears instead

Rather than focusing on eliminating the main acne-causing bacteria, P-Acnes, it aims to neutralise a ‘troublemaking protein’ produced by the germs and key to the formation of spots. Acne is caused when the skin’s sebaceous glands produce too much sebum – the skin’s natural moisturiser – clogging the pores.

The protein then starts killing skin cells, causing the body to try to fight back with inflammation, flooding the area with white blood cells. The result is sore pimples.

New rival: The strongest cure for acne currently out there, Roaccutane, can make skin sensitive and has been linked to birth defects and depression

The experts, carrying out tests on the skin on the ears of mice, created antibodies which home in on the protein and ‘turn it off’. Mice given doses of bacteria treated with the antibodies developed much less inflammation than those given untreated bugs.

The animals’ immune systems can also be stimulated to produce their own antibodies, the study found.

More than eight out of ten teenagers suffer from spots, and the global market for acne medications is estimated at about £1.87billion a year.

While vaccines are usually used to prevent illnesses, the jab would be instead be used as a treatment. It is too early to say how often it would need to be used.

Dr Harald Gollnick, of the Global Alliance to Improve Outcomes in Acne, says it may be available within five to ten years.

Despite the range of treatments currently available, acne leaves 20 per cent of sufferers with scarring.

The strongest, Roaccutane, can make skin sensitive and has been linked to birth defects and depression.

Consultant dermatologist Dr Susannah Baron, of the BMI Hospital in Canterbury, said: ‘Acne affects so many teenagers at a very difficult stage of life. A vaccine that potentially targets inflammation could prove very helpful.’

Airport Scanner Cancer Risk 'Glossed Over,' Says New Report

The U.S. government whitewashed health risks when they put controversial full-body X-ray scanners in airports throughout the country, says a new report. Airport scanners emit radiation that could be responsible for up to 100 cancer deaths of airline passengers each year, according to the report by ProPublica and the PBS NewsHour.

Questions of safety have dogged the X-ray scanners since they were introduced to American airports two years ago. In Boston, representatives of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) union believe the scanners could be responsible for a cluster of cancers among airport security workers, according to Time. And experts believe they raise the risk of cancer for ordinary flyers — not just security workers.

Read more: Airport Scanner Cancer Risk 'Glossed Over,' Says New Report
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Tests Show Most Store Honey Isn't Honey

by Andrew Schneider | Nov 07, 2011

More than three-fourths of the honey sold in U.S. grocery stores isn't exactly what the bees produce, according to testing done exclusively for Food Safety News.

The results show that the pollen frequently has been filtered out of products labeled "honey."

The removal of these microscopic particles from deep within a flower would make the nectar flunk the quality standards set by most of the world's food safety agencies.

The food safety divisions of the World Health Organization, the European Commission and dozens of others also have ruled that without pollen there is no way to determine whether the honey came from legitimate and safe sources.

In the U.S., the Food and Drug Administration says that any product that's been ultra-filtered and no longer contains pollen isn't honey. However, the FDA isn't checking honey sold here to see if it contains pollen.

Ultra filtering is a high-tech procedure where honey is heated, sometimes watered down and then forced at high pressure through extremely small filters to remove pollen, which is the only foolproof sign identifying the source of the honey. It is a spin-off of a technique refined by the Chinese, who have illegally dumped tons of their honey - some containing illegal antibiotics - on the U.S. market for years.

Food Safety News decided to test honey sold in various outlets after its earlier investigation found U.S. groceries flooded with Indian honey banned in Europe as unsafe because of contamination with antibiotics, heavy metal and a total lack of pollen which prevented tracking its origin.

Food Safety News purchased more than 60 jars, jugs and plastic bears of honey in 10 states and the District of Columbia.

The contents were analyzed for pollen by Vaughn Bryant, a professor at Texas A&M University and one of the nation's premier melissopalynologists, or investigators of pollen in honey.

Bryant, who is director of the Palynology Research Laboratory, found that among the containers of honey provided by Food Safety News:

• 76 percent of samples bought at groceries had all the pollen removed, These were stores like TOP Food, Safeway, Giant Eagle, QFC, Kroger, Metro Market, Harris Teeter, A&P, Stop & Shop and King Soopers.

• 100 percent of the honey sampled from drugstores like Walgreens, Rite-Aid and CVS Pharmacy had no pollen.

• 77 percent of the honey sampled from big box stores like Costco, Sam's Club, Walmart, Target and H-E-B had the pollen filtered out.

• 100 percent of the honey packaged in the small individual service portions from Smucker, McDonald's and KFC had the pollen removed.

• Bryant found that every one of the samples Food Safety News bought at farmers markets, co-ops and "natural" stores like PCC and Trader Joe's had the full, anticipated, amount of pollen.

MORE>>>>>>>

Alternative medicine remains an ethics-free zone

The level of misinformation about alternative medicine has reached the point where it is endangering patients

The World Health Organisation has claimed acupuncture is a 'proven therapy' for a range of conditions, but the evidence shows the opposite. Photograph: AP

Many people think medical ethics is a dry and boring subject mainly for the ivory towers of academia. Nothing could be further from the truth. One of the foremost aims of medical ethics is to make sure that people receive treatments that demonstrably do more good than harm, so it directly relates to the health and wellbeing of all of us.

In conventional medicine, numerous safeguards are in place to make sure doctors adhere to generally accepted ethical standards. In alternative medicine, however, medical ethics has largely remained a blind spot.

Therapeutic decisions of any kind should normally be taken after a healthcare professional has provided evidence-based advice to a patient. In alternative medicine, by contrast, consumers often make up their own minds whether to try this or that treatment; advice is not mandatory but information is abundantly available.

In order to ensure the consumers' choice generates more good than harm, the publicly available information on alternative medicine would need to be reliable. We all know that this is not the case and that insisting on 100% reliability in a free market would be Utopian. Who, for instance, could even begin to vet the 50m or so websites that supply consumers with information on alternative treatments? But at the very least, information provided by healthcare professionals should not endanger the consumer.

MORE>>>

Anti-Smoking Drug Linked to Suicide

Pfizer's smoking cessation drug Chantix carries too many risks and should only be tried when other treatments fail, researchers said.

Chantix was eight times more likely to be linked with a reported case of suicidal behavior or depression than other nicotine replacement products, such as the nicotine patch, they said.

The findings contradict two studies released last month by the Food and Drug Administration that showed Chantix (sold as Champix outside the United States) did not increase the risk of being hospitalized for psychiatric problems such as depression.

The agency at the time acknowledged that those studies were flawed because they were too small to identify rare events and they only captured cases that were severe enough to land people in the hospital.

Read more: Anti-Smoking Drug Linked to Suicide
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Is Junk Food as Addictive as Cocaine?

Cupcakes may be addictive, just like cocaine.

A growing body of medical research at leading universities and government laboratories suggests that processed foods and sugary drinks made by the likes of PepsiCo Inc. and Kraft Foods Inc. aren’t simply unhealthy. They can hijack the brain in ways that resemble addictions to cocaine, nicotine, and other drugs.

“The data is so overwhelming the field has to accept it,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse. “We are finding tremendous overlap between drugs in the brain and food in the brain.”

The idea that food may be addictive was barely on scientists’ radar a decade ago. Now the field is heating up. Lab studies have found sugary drinks and fatty foods can produce addictive behavior in animals. Brain scans of obese people and compulsive eaters, meanwhile, reveal disturbances in brain reward circuits similar to those experienced by drug abusers.

Read more: Is Junk Food as Addictive as Cocaine?
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

US lawmakers reject Canada drug purchases

AFP

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US Senate Thursday rejected a measure that would have enabled Americans to buy prescription drugs in Canada in a bid to reduce the costs of their health care.

The measure, an amendment to a spending bill, was defeated by a vote of 45 to 55.

It would have barred the US Food and Drug Administration from spending money to stop people importing prescription drugs from Canada that comply with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act -- which very few Canadian drugs do.

Even Canadian drugs with identical chemical makeup to US drugs do not technically comply with the law, because the FDA does not inspect Canadian manufacturing plants or approve their labeling.

Republican Senator David Vitter, who introduced the measure, has tried and failed on several occasions to gain passage of similar measures, with the question of the importation of drugs from Canada a perennial hot-button issue.

US lobbying groups linked to the pharmaceutical industry had vehemently opposed to the measure.

In a statement Wednesday, the National Association of Drug Store Chains said it opposed the "personal importation" of drugs by Americans.

"NACDS shares your goal of reducing the cost of prescription drugs," it said in a letter to Vitter. "However, we do not believe that consumer safety can be ensured under a prescription drug reimportation system."

© AFP -- Published at Activist Post with license

Many popular organic brands now owned by large industrial food processors

Jonathan Benson
Natural News

Since the initial release of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) draft of organic standards in 1997, large industrial food processors have been gradually acquiring or forming strategic alliances with organic food brands. And a series of detailed charts assembled by Philip H. Howard, an assistant professor at Michigan State University (MSU), provides a visual glimpse into how the organic industry has changed over the years.

It was expected that, with the establishment of national organic standards to replace the loose patchwork of state and local standards that existed prior, large food producers would want in on the action. And many got what they wanted, as they quickly gobbled up many of the largest and most viable organic brands that existed at the time.

Howard explains that most acquisitions of organic brands by industrial food processors occurred between 1997 and 2002, when USDA organic standards were fully implemented. During that time, Dean Foods acquired the White Wave / Silk brand, for instance, and the Kellogg company acquired the popular Kashi brand.

Other major acquisitions over the years include Kraft's takeover of Boca Foods and Back to Nature, General Mills takeover of LaraBar and Cascadian Farm, and Pepsi's takeover of Naked Juice. And many other acquisitions have taken place over the years as well, which you can learn more about here:
http://www.msu.edu/~howardp/organicindustry.html

Do these buyouts mean that the acquired brands are no longer reputable or of the same quality as they were before? The answer to this, of course, is dubious. In many cases, the contents of an acquired brand's products have remained mostly or completely the same -- the parent company simply wanted a strategic piece of the pie. But in other cases, the acquired brand's offerings were altered to cut costs.

Perhaps the most widely-known case of brand tampering occurred with Dean Foods Silk brand. As many NaturalNews readers may already know, Silk quietly stopped using organic soybeans in its soy milk products, but did not tell customers. Silk even kept the same barcodes and product packaging, which resulted in some retailers unknowingly selling the altered product as if it was organic for months after the change was made.

At the same time, many industrial food processed have developed organic versions of their existing brands in response to growing consumer demand for organic food, which has improved the overall quality of many popular brands. These include the introduction of a Campbell's Soup organic line, for example, and a Kellogg's organic cereal line.

To learn more about who owns what in the organic industry, visit:
http://www.msu.edu/~howardp/organicindustry.html

Are Cancer-Causing Chemicals in Your Baby’s Shampoo?

TRENTON, New Jersey (The Blaze/AP) — Chemicals that could be harmful to babies remain in Johnson & Johnson’s baby shampoo sold in the U.S. and some other countries, even though the company already makes versions without them, according to an international coalition of health and environmental groups.

The coalition is urging consumers to boycott Johnson & Johnson baby products until the company agrees to remove the chemicals from its baby products sold around the world, including in China and the U.K. Johnson & Johnson has said it has been phasing these chemicals out of its products and also notes that the levels at which these chemicals are present in their products is approved by regulators.

The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has unsuccessfully been urging the world’s largest health care company for 2 1/2 years to remove the trace amounts of potentially cancer-causing chemicals — dioxane and a substance called quaternium-15 that releases formaldehyde — from Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, one of its signature products.

Johnson & Johnson has said it is reducing or gradually phasing out the chemicals.

“Johnson & Johnson clearly can make safer baby shampoo in all the markets around the world, but it’s not doing it,” said Lisa Archer, director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

The campaign’s new report, “Baby’s Tub is Still Toxic,” is set to be released Tuesday, when the group was launching the boycott via its website, http://www.safecosmetics.org.

The updated report was based on an examination of label ingredients for Johnson & Johnson baby products in 13 countries.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/are-cancer-causing-chemicals-in-your-babys-shampoo/

Are Cancer-Causing Chemicals in Your Baby’s Shampoo?

Johnson & Johnson has said it is reducing or gradually phasing out the chemicals.

“Johnson & Johnson clearly can make safer baby shampoo in all the markets around the world, but it’s not doing it,” said Lisa Archer, director of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics.

The campaign’s new report, “Baby’s Tub is Still Toxic,” is set to be released Tuesday, when the group was launching the boycott via its website, http://www.safecosmetics.org.

The updated report was based on an examination of label ingredients for Johnson & Johnson baby products in 13 countries.

http://www.theblaze.com/stories/are-cancer-causing-chemicals-in-your-babys-shampoo/

Watch out for those Halloween treats! Eating too much black licorice can be bad for your heart, FDA warns

It's been a favourite of children for generations - and some sweet-toothed adults too - but now black licorice comes with a health warning.

The Food and Drug Administration says black licorice can lead to heart arrhythmias, irregular heartbeats, and other health problems when consumed by adults in large quantities.

The FDA issued the warning in its pre-Halloween alert about over-indulgence of candy.

Food experts says that eating two ounces of black licorice every day for two weeks can actually set the heart racing or pounding out of sync in some people.

The cause is the ingredient named glycyrrhizin, which is what gives licorice its sweet flavour.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow is a professor of cardiovascular medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine.

He said that glycyrrhizin causes the kidneys to excrete potassium.
Low levels of potassium can make the heart beat dangerously fast or irregular.

Glycyrrhizin also leads to salt and water retention which can be a problem for people with heart failure or high blood pressure, he added.

In certain parts of the world, the chewy stuff is prescribed to treat everything from heartburn to bronchitis to viral infections, msnbc.com reports.

But the FDA alert also noted that there has never been a study proving that licorice can cure anything.

No magic formula: Black licorice is revered in some cultures for its healing properties, but the FDA says there is no evidence it can cure anything

Licorice is a bioactive food, which means it can alter metabolic processes in the body.

Mr Fonarow said that you have to be careful mixing licorice with medications.

He said: 'Licorice can be a problem for people taking diuretics, digoxin and laxatives.'

More...

The combination of the candy with these medications can drive potassium down to dangerously low levels, he added.

Licorice can drive up blood pressure in women taking oral contraceptives because of the potassium effect, previous studies have shown.

While the health risks are more applicable to adults, the FDA says that young and old alike should be careful about how much black licorice they consume at one time.

If you do get an irregular heart rhythm or muscle weakness, 'stop eating it immediately and contact your healthcare provider,' the FDA says.

The new health ticking timebomb: Young adults who are ‘picture of health’ at risk of clogged arteries

A high proportion of 'apparently healthy' young adults are at risk of clogged arteries, a study shows.

Researchers at the University of Quebec have discovered that a build-up of fatty deposits in the walls of the arteries known as atherosclerosis, is fast becoming a 'ticking timebomb'.

The disorder, which often remains undetected, can eventually lead to serious health complications including heart disease, stroke, or even premature death.

A study has revealed that a build-up of fatty deposits in the walls of the arteries known as atherosclerosis, is fast becoming a 'ticking time bomb'

Researchers worked with 168 volunteers aged 18-35 for the study.

Those who took part had no known risk factors such as family history of premature heart disease, diabetes, obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol, or high blood pressure.

Government Data Proves Raw Milk is Safe

Raw Milk Risk Extremely Small Compared to Risk of Other Foods

WASHINGTON, DC June 22, 2011: Data gleaned from U.S. government websites and government-sanctioned reports on foodborne illnesses show that the risk of contracting foodborne illness by consuming raw milk is much smaller than the risk of becoming ill from other foods, according to research by Dr. Ted Beals, MD, appearing in the Summer, 2011 issue of Wise Traditions, the quarterly journal of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

“At last we have access to the numbers we need to determine the risk of consuming raw milk on a per-person basis,” says Sally Fallon Morell, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, a non-profit nutrition education foundation that provides information on the health benefits of raw, whole milk from pastured cows.

The key figure that permits a calculation of raw milk illnesses on a per-person basis comes from a 2007 Centers for Disease Control (CDC) FoodNet survey, which found that 3.04 percent of the population consumes raw milk, or about 9.4 million people, based on the 2010 census. This number may in fact be larger in 2011 as raw milk is growing in popularity. For example, sales of raw milk increased 25 percent in California in 2010, while sales of pasteurized milk declined 3 percent. MORE>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Experts: New Studies Bashing Supplements Are Flawed

Two widely reported studies claiming nutritional supplements may be harmful are based on flawed science and reach unsubstantiated conclusions, top research experts tell Newsmax Health.

Gross abnormalities in the way data was handled in both cases has some in the natural health community questioning whether the skewed results stem from sloppy research, or are part of a continuing government and corporate effort to discredit vitamins and supplements.

The separate, unrelated studies were released early last week and quickly made headlines around the world.

Read more: Experts: New Studies Bashing Supplements Are Flawed
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Teen Night Workers at Risk of MS

Working night shifts as a teenager is not only exhausting; it also significantly increases the chance of developing multiple sclerosis later in life, a Swedish study published Tuesday showed.

"Our analysis revealed a significant association between working (night) shifts at a young age and occurrence of MS," Anna Hedstroem, who headed the team of Karolinska Institute researchers, said in a statement.

For the study, published in the Annals of Neurology, the researchers combed through data from two Swedish population-based studies:

Read more: Teen Night Workers at Risk of MS
Important: At Risk For A Heart Attack? Find Out Now.

Why High-Fructose Corn Syrup is killing you

Visit the Mercola Video Library

Story at-a-glance

Fifty percent of all Americans over the age of two consume sugary drinks on a daily basis
The metabolic effects of a calorie from fructose are completely different from a calorie from other nutrients, including other sugars, and these metabolic differences explain its devastating health effects
Fructose turns into fat much faster and more efficiently than other sugars

By Dr. Mercola

Fructose consumption rates continue to rise worldwide, despite the fact that a growing collection of studies clearly demonstrate that consuming excessive amounts of fructose (primarily in the form of high-fructose corn syrup) is the fastest way to destroy your health.

Half of the U.S. population over the age of two now consumes sugary drinks on a daily basis, and that's just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. Unnecessary calories from fructose-laden drinks and processed foods of all kinds can quickly add several pounds a year to your weight and rob you of your health. Over the last several years, fructose has been revealed as a major culprit or exacerbating factor in:

Elevated blood pressure, and nocturnal hypertension	Insulin resistance / Type 2 Diabetes	Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD)
Elevated uric acid levels, which can result in gout and/or metabolic syndrome	Accelerated progression of chronic kidney disease	Intracranial atherosclerosis (narrowing and hardening of the arteries in your skull)
Exacerbated cardiac abnormalities if you're deficient in copper	Genotoxic effect on the colon	Metastasis in breast cancer patients and pancreatic cancer growth
Tubulointerstitial injury (injury to the tubules and interstitial tissue of your kidney)	Obesity and related health problems and diseases	Arthritis

A Calorie is Not a Calorie...

Dr. Lustig, a Professor of Clinical Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology at UC San Francisco, has been on the forefront of the movement to educate people about the health hazards of sugar, and I highly recommend viewing his presentation, The Trouble with Fructose, above. He's a compelling speaker and does an excellent job of laying down the facts in an easy to understand manner.

One of the primary problems with fructose is that it is isocaloric but not isometabolic, meaning that while you can have the same amount of calories from fructose or any other nutrient, including glucose, the metabolic effect will be entirely different despite the identical calorie count. This explains why calorie counting doesn't work. You simply have to take the quality or source of the calories into account in order to successfully lose weight.

Fructose metabolism is quite different from glucose (dextrose) metabolism in that it places the entire burden on your liver, and this accounts for many of its devastating health effects. Furthermore, people consume fructose in enormous quantities these days, which has made the negative effects that much more profound. Without getting into the very complex biochemistry of carbohydrate metabolism, it is important to have a general understanding of how your body handles these sugars.

Below is a summary of the main differences between glucose and fructose metabolism, which explains why I keep repeating that fructose is by far the worst type of sugar there is:

After eating fructose, 100 percent of the metabolic burden rests on your liver. But with glucose, your liver has to break down only 20 percent.

Every cell in your body, including your brain, utilizes glucose. Therefore, much of it is "burned up" immediately after you consume it. By contrast, fructose is turned into free fatty acids (FFAs), VLDL (the damaging form of cholesterol), and triglycerides, which get stored as fat.

The fatty acids created during fructose metabolism accumulate as fat droplets in your liver and skeletal muscle tissues, causing insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Insulin resistance progresses to metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes.

Fructose is the most lipophilic carbohydrate. In other words, fructose converts to activated glycerol (g-3-p), which is directly used to turn FFAs into triglycerides. The more g-3-p you have, the more fat you store. Glucose does not do this.

When you eat 120 calories of glucose, less than one calorie is stored as fat. 120 calories of fructose results in 40 calories being stored as fat. Consuming fructose is essentially consuming fat!

The metabolism of fructose by your liver creates a long list of waste products and toxins, including a large amount of uric acid, which drives up blood pressure and causes gout.

Glucose suppresses the hunger hormone ghrelin and stimulates leptin, which suppresses your appetite. Fructose has no effect on ghrelin and interferes with your brain's communication with leptin, resulting in overeating.

Interestingly enough, glucose has been found to further accelerate fructose absorption, so when you MIX glucose and fructose together, you absorb more fructose than if you consumed fructose alone! This is yet another important piece of information for those who want to make a better effort at controlling their weight.

Anyone who still tries to tell you that "sugar is sugar" in an effort to defend high fructose corn syrup is seriously unaware of the current research, which clearly demonstrates that there are major differences in how your body processes these sugars. The bottom line is: fructose leads to increased belly fat, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome and diabetes, along with a long list of associated chronic diseases.

Should Fructose be Government Controlled?

The second video above is another presentation by Dr. Lustig called "How to Have a Sweet Ending," given at the UCSF Center for Obesity, Assessment, Study and Treatment. In it, he lays out his ideas for how to curb the consumption of sugar. ccording to Dr. Lustig, efforts at educating the public have failed, and he believes the government must intervene, and essentially force the people to change their ways. In response, De Coster, writing on LewRockwell states:

"He believes that a massive policy of taxation, regulation, and interdiction, at both a societal and an individual level, is necessary to force the reduction of sugar consumption. He has, in fact, called for a global policy to eradicate sugar addiction. Lustig is not calling for a few misplaced laws, here and there, to protect you from yourself. Rather, he is trying to justify a global crusade against freedom of food choice on the basis that "our toxic environment cannot be changed without government/societal intervention."

Among Lustig's suggested interventions are controls on advertising and marketing, government counter-campaigns (taxpayer-funded, government propaganda), and raising prices via actual price fixing and/or taxation. Moreover, he advocates a policy that mimics the iron law of alcohol policy – reducing the availability of sugar-based products by way of age limits for purchase ("carding kids for Coke"), licensing and zoning controls on sales outlets, and regulating the hours of operation and density of fast food outlets through a series of government-issued permits."

Is government intervention the solution to this problem? What do you think? I'd love to hear what you think on this issue, so please do share your thoughts and ideas in the Vital Votes forum below.

Personally, I have to agree with De Coster that Dr. Lustig's ideas sound a lot like the invocation of the new Food Safety Modernization Act, which stands poised to do far more harm than good. I think there's a real danger in trying to regulate or tax ANY kind of food out of existence. After all, it's not the sugar in and of itself that is toxic—it's the MASSIVE doses that people consume, and honestly... personal responsibility and educated choice needs to enter the picture sooner or later. Your diet, after all, is front and center when it comes to taking control of your health, which is something everyone needs to do if they truly want to live a long and healthy life.

I believe the current situation can change, but enough people need to understand the simple truths of healthy eating and refuse to buy sugar-laden processed foods and pass on the daily sodas. Earlier this year, Dr. David Ludwig, a Harvard-affiliated pediatrician wrote a commentary in JAMA, offering his suggestions on how to turn this disease-producing diet trend around. These are reasonable ideas, but I don't think we can sit around and wait for government to fix this mess. Instead, do what you can to help educate others

His suggestions include:

Restructuring agricultural subsidies

Regulating the marketing of food to children

Adequately funding school lunch programs

Using existing and future technologies to allow the food industry to retain profits while producing more healthful products

How to Reverse the Obesity- and Related Chronic Disease Trends

I believe there are two primary dietary recommendations that could make all the difference in the world for most people, leading to a swift reversal in the horrific disease trends we're currently facing:

Severely restricting carbohydrates (sugars, fructose, and grains) in your diet, and

Increasing healthy fat consumption

I recently wrote about this recommendation in-depth, so for more details, please see This Substance Fools Your Metabolism - and Tricks Your Body into Gaining Pounds. If you want to shed excess pounds and maintain a healthy weight long-term, and RADICALLY reduce (and in many cases virtually eliminate) your risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer, then get serious about restricting your consumption of fructose to no more than 25 grams per day, with a maximum of 15 grams a day from fresh fruit. If you're already overweight, or have any of these diseases or are at high risk of any of them, then you're probably better off cutting that down to 10-15 grams per day; fruit included.

That's the first step. My nutrition plan lays out the rest in a simple to follow, step-by-step manner. If you haven't taken the time to review it yet, I highly recommend doing so. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. And the information is free.

Source: Lew Rockwell July 23, 2011

Blame the CDC for Slow Progress Against Hospital Infections

Energy Drinks and the ER---MORE>>>>>>>>>>>

More...

More...

More...

More...

A Calorie is Not a Calorie...

Should Fructose be Government Controlled?

How to Reverse the Obesity- and Related Chronic Disease Trends

Related Links: