8 Questions to Ask Before You Get the Flu Shot

Model of Influenza Virus from U.S. National In...
Model of Influenza Virus from U.S. National Institutes for Health (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Despite what you may have heard, the flu vaccine is not for everyone.

Under assault from a massive public relations campaign from drug store chains, big pharmaceutical companies, and government agencies, people who don’t get the flu shot are often accused of being uneducated, or even worse, socially irresponsible.

But many experts say this type of flu shot fanaticism is misguided.

“Vaccinations have become very profitable, with medical recommendations sometimes being driven more by profit rather than science or sanity,” says Jacob Teitelbaum, M.D., author of the best-selling book “Real Cause, Real Cure.”

Alert: Flu Epidemic Hits US — What You Need to Know About Flu Shots

Barbara Loe Fisher, president of the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC) a non-profit charity, notes that more people get compensation for injuries suffered from the flu vaccine than for any vaccination other than the DPT shot.

“The influenza vaccine, like other vaccines, is not without its share of risks,’ she tells Newsmax Health.

Vaccine reactions can include redness, swelling, heat or hardness at the injection site, body hives or rashes, high fever, twitching or jerking of the head, weakness or paralysis of any part of the body, muscle weakness, joint pain, and breathing difficulties.

Fisher says anybody considering the flu shot should first answer these eight questions:

Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Headline/flu-shot-vaccine-questions/2013/11/06/id/535082#ixzz2jv4FnkL6
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Diet fizzy drinks make you 60% MORE likely to get diabetes

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options (Photo credit: globochem3x1minus1)

Diet fizzy drinks make you 60% MORE likely to get diabetes than regular, 'full fat' versions


  • Drinking one can a week of any type of fizzy drink increases risk of diabetes by a third
  • Women who drank 1.5 litres of diet drinks a week had up to 60 per cent increased risk of the disease
  • Artificial sweeteners in diet drinks may be to blame 
  •  
  • Diet fizzy drinks can raise the risk of diabetes by 60 per cent, startling new research has revealed.

    A study of more than 66,000 women found those who drank artificially sweetened drinks were more likely to develop the disease than those who indulged in regular, 'full fat' versions.

    The findings, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, fly in the face of conventional thinking that regular versions of fizzy drinks are always worse for our health. 

    The effect is compounded by the fact that diet drinkers also consume more - on average 2.8 glasses a week compared to 1.6 for regular drinkers.
    Regular, full-fat versions of fizzy drinks have previously been linked to an increased risk of diabetes

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2275500/Diet-fizzy-drinks-make-60-MORE-likely-diabetes-regular-fat-versions.html#ixzz2KRv1R1Kp
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    Nuts Shown to Prevent Pancreatic Cancer

    Brazil nuts come from a South American tree
    Brazil nuts come from a South American tree (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    In surprising new evidence of the health benefits of nuts, Harvard researchers are reporting consumption of almonds, cashews, and other nuts greatly reduce the risk of developing pancreatic cancer.
     
    The study, published online in the British Journal of Cancer, examined the association between nut consumption and risk of pancreatic cancer among 75,680 women in the long-running Nurses' Health Study.
     
    The results showed women who consumed a one-ounce serving of nuts — including almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, and walnuts — at least twice a week were far less likely to develop pancreatic cancer than those who did not.
     

    Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Health-News/nuts-pancreatic-cancer-prevention/2013/11/08/id/535687#ixzz2kFTc0Bie
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    Olive oil, nuts tied to prostate-cancer survival

    English: Micrograph of prostatic adenocarcinom...
    English: Micrograph of prostatic adenocarcinoma, conventional (acinar) type, the most common form of prostate cancer. Prostate biopsy. H&E stain. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

    'It doesn't take a major diet overhaul to get significant health benefits'

    (NPR) — Sometimes, it doesn’t take a major diet overhaul to get significant health benefits. Small changes can be helpful, too.

    This seems to be the take-home message from a new study in JAMA Internal Medicine linking olive oil and nuts to improved survival from prostate cancer.

    Researchers studied the fat intake of more than 4,500 men who had been diagnosed with non-metastatic prostate cancer (this is cancer that’s still confined to the prostate gland and has not spread to another place in the body).


    Turmeric Proven to Fight Diabetes…Again!



    Mike Barrett
    Activist Post



    Research highlighting turmeric’s powerful health-boosting properties just seems to never cease, with some recent research showing yet again that the super spice can help to prevent diabetes risk thanks to the spice’s active compound curcumin.

    What’s more, the compound helps to prevent diabetes among those with pre-diabetes – indicated that extremely high blood sugar levels that could ultimately result in type 2 diabetes.

    Without a doubt, there is a clear connection between turmeric and diabetes prevention.

    Published in the journal Diabetes Care, the study involved 240 Thai adults with prediabetes. The participants were divided into 2 groups, with one group taking curcumin capsules containing 250 milligrams of curcuminoids, while the other was given a placebo. After a 9 month period, it was found that 19 individuals of the 116-person placebo group developed type 2 diabetes, while none of the participants of the 199-person curcumin group developed the disease.

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    Hormone Treatment Eases Chronic Pain: Study

    Pain in acute myocardial infarction (rear)
    Pain in acute myocardial infarction (rear) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    A combination of two hormones might make a difference in reducing suffering in people with chronic pain, according to a small, preliminary study.


    Seven of 9 patients reported a 30 percent to 40 percent decrease in pain after taking doses of oxytocin and human chorionic gonadotropin, the researchers found. In addition, the level of opioid (narcotic) painkillers needed by these seven patients also declined by 30 percent to 40 percent.

    Patients also reported improvement in the intensity of pain flare-ups and longer time between flares, the study authors said.

    Oxytocin is known as the "love hormone" and has been linked to positive human emotions. Human chorionic gonadotropin plays a role during pregnancy. Levels of both hormones increase during and after childbirth, and they're thought to contribute to lower levels of pain in pregnant women.

    Study author Dr. Forest Tennant, an internist who specializes in chronic pain at the Veract Intractable Pain Clinics in West Covina, Calif., said there were few side effects with the treatment.

    Read Latest Breaking News from Newsmax.com http://www.newsmaxhealth.com/Health-News/oxytocin-pain-hormone-treatment/2014/03/08/id/556805#ixzz2vTbZGry3
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    Health Benefits of Raw Organic Sheep's Milk





    Although in the United States, sheep milk is not as popular as cow milk, sheep milk and its products are widely consumed in other parts of the world, especially in the Mediterranean. In fact, Greek feta cheese and Italian ricotta cheese are made from sheep milk. Sheep milk is rich in many nutrients; however, it is not recommended that you drink it raw. The Food and Drug Administration states that drinking raw milk is a health risk because it can contain bacteria such as E. coli. The FDA also assures that pasteurization does not degrade the milk's nutritional quality in any way.

    Protein and Carbohydrate

    Sheep milk is richer in protein than either cow or goat milk -- it contains about two percent more. Protein from mammalian milk is of high quality because it contains all essential amino acids. Getting enough protein is important because your body needs it to grow and repair itself. Sheep milk is also higher in lactose than cow and goat milk and is therefore not recommended for lactose-intolerant individuals.
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    At last, the truth: Butter is GOOD for you - and margarine is chemical gunk

    • We have been conned into believing margarine was better for us than butter
    • The scientific evidence is totally at odds with decades of official advice
    • The profit-grabbing manufacturers have never been prepared to admit
    Like my grandmother before me, I have never had a tub of margarine in the house. Perhaps thanks to her, my gut instinct has always told me that butter is better for you.

    Not only does butter taste incomparably better, it's a natural product that human beings have been eating and cooking with for centuries without ­damaging their health.

    Why swap it for margarine, a highly synthetic and unpleasant-tasting concoction laced with additives and cheap, low-grade oils refined on an industrial scale?

    The truth: Evidence shows butter is better for you than margarine despite decades of advice to the contrary
    The truth: Evidence shows butter is better for you than margarine despite decades of advice to the contrary
    Especially, if I tell you that without colourings margarine isn't yellow at all, but actually an appetite-crushing shade of sludgy grey.

    If my preference for butter began with instinct, in the past few years it's been supported by a growing body of scientific research that not only indicates that there is absolutely no reason to stop eating ­butter, but also leads to one inescapable conclusion: that decades of government health advice, particularly in regard to heart disease, cholesterol levels and the consumption of fats and oils, have been plain wrong.

    It's so wrong, in fact, that I believe the health establishment now owes us an apology. 
    We have been conned into believing that margarine was better for us than butter. The nation's morning toast has been ruined for decades by kind-hearted women thinking they were doing the best for their ­husbands and children by switching from butter to marge

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2274747/At-truth-Butter-GOOD--margarine-chemical-gunk.html#ixzz2KRlC3Jfc
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    Did Wheat Hybridization Give Rise To Celiac Disease?

    Starting in the 1960′s, and increasingly in the 1990′s, plant breeders undertook efforts to produce hybrid wheat varieties with the goals of improving yield and disease resistance. Both worthwhile goals but it’s possible that wheat hybridization may have led to the rapidly growing prevalence of celiac disease today.

    We learn that not all gluten is created equally. A study identifies that, “Gluten proteins from wheat can induce celiac disease (CD) in genetically susceptible individuals. Specific gluten peptides can be presented by antigen presenting cells to gluten-sensitive T-cell lymphocytes leading to CD.”1
    The same abstract explains that a study of over 80 varieties of wheat shows read more…

    Nutrition 101: How Processed Foods Make Us Fat, Malnourished, and Sick


    Daisy Luther
    Activist Post

    Did you ever wonder how people who exist on a diet of mainly processed foods can be both overweight and malnourished at the same time? Despite overly abundant calories, people who live off of boxed macaroni and cheese, frozen dinners, Ramen noodles, and other packaged foods aren’t getting the nutrients that people who eat a whole foods diet are getting. Deadly GMO ingredients aside, the sheer amount of chemicals in processed foods can lead to disease, obesity, and malnutrition.

    If you aren’t entirely familiar with the way processed foods can affect your health, read on. This is an introduction to how processed foods differ from whole foods, based on frequently asked questions about the subject.

    What happens in your body when you eat processed foods?

    Cheap Diabetes drug could beat prostate cancer by shrinking tumours

    A diabetes drug costing as  little as 2p a tablet could offer a major breakthrough in the treatment of prostate cancer.

    Research has shown that the medicine, called metformin, causes tumours to shrink by slowing the rate at which cancerous cells grow.

    If the results are confirmed in bigger  trials, it raises the possibility that men could be given the cheap, readily available drug as soon as they are diagnosed.
    Hope for the future: Diabetes drug metformin, which costs as little as 2p a tablet, could offer a major breakthrough in the treatment of prostate cancer
    Hope for the future: Diabetes drug metformin, which costs as little as 2p a tablet, could offer a major breakthrough in the treatment of prostate cancer


    Nearly 40,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year in the UK and 10,000 men die from it – the equivalent of more than one an hour. 


    The risks of developing a tumour increase with age, and there is a strong genetic element to the disease.

    Metformin is widely used on the NHS to treat patients with type 2 diabetes.
    But recent studies highlighting the drug’s effects against a variety of tumours have generated considerable excitement among cancer researchers looking for  powerful new treatments.

    Last year, scientists discovered  it could slash the risk of ovarian cancer by around 40 per cent. 


    And Cancer Research UK is currently funding a major five-year study, involving early 5,000 British women with breast cancer, to see if the drug will stop the disease returning and boost survival rates.

    Other research teams around the world are investigating metformin’s powers against skin, lung and pancreatic cancer, with promising early results.
     

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2174015/Diabetes-drug-costing-just-2p-beat-prostate-cancer-shrinking-tumours.html#ixzz20yOUvLMl

    Elderberry Extract: Nature’s “Tamiflu”





    Daisy Luther, Contributor
    Activist Post

    The most important weapon against influenza that you can add to your herbal arsenal is elderberry extract.

    Whether you are concerned with the seasonal flu or the potential of a deadly strain of influenza becoming pandemic, elderberry extract is a vital addition to your vault of flu remedies.

    Unlike the highly touted flu shot, black elderberry has actually been conclusively proven to be effective. It is one of the few natural remedies that has been written up in the medical journals. The studies I’m listing here are based on black elderberry extract (Sambucus nigra L) - name brand Sambucol.

    According to PubMed:
    Sambucus nigra L. products – Sambucol – are based on a standardized black elderberry extract. They are natural remedies with antiviral properties, especially against different strains of influenza virus. Sambucol was shown to be effective in vitro against 10 strains of influenza virus. In a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized study, Sambucol reduced the duration of flu symptoms to 3-4 days.

    Eating lots of chocolate helps people stay thin, study finds


    (CBS News) What's the best way to stay thin? A new study finds it's exercising and eating a healthy diet full of - chocolate?

    Mindless eating: 8 food goofs that pack on pounds

    The study found that people who frequently ate chocolate had a lower body mass index (BMI) than people who didn't.

    Is it time to ditch fat-free for fudge?



    For the study, published in the March 26 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, researchers examined more than 1,000 healthy men and women who were free of heart disease, diabetes and cholesterol problems. They were all enrolled in another study that measured the effects of cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, but for this study researchers assigned them questionnaires that gauged how often participants chowed down on chocolate.

    The researchers found that the participants - who were an average age of 57 - ate chocolate for an average of twice of week and exercised roughly 3.5 times per week. But the more frequent chocolate-eaters had smaller BMIs, a ratio of height and weight that's used to measure obesity.

    MORE>>>>>>>>>

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    Uncle Sam Updates Food Pyramid links and updates...

    Home




    The Food and Nutrition Information Center - a leader in food and human nutrition information dissemination since 1971 - provides credible, accurate, and practical resources for nutrition and health professionals, educators, government personnel and consumers. Learn more about FNIC.
    Healthy Diet & Lifestyle, Food Groups, Nutrition Before & During Pregnancy, Child Nutrition, Physical Activity
    http://krilloil.com/blog/nutrition-pyramid/
    In addition you can find more info below:
    The Food and Nutrition Information Center
    http://fnic.nal.usda.gov/
    Nutritional Values For Common Foods And Products
    http://www.nutritionvalue.org/
    NutritionData.com: Nutrition facts, calories in food, labels and more
    http://nutritiondata.self.com/

    Overdosing on Vitamin D: Side Effects, Toxicity, Symptoms, Poisoning




    Here are the side effects that I feel aren't well described on the Mayo Clinic list:

    1) Irritable lungs. For example, when I breath in alcohol vapors I need to cough. When I drink my coffee in the morning I need to cough (probably a reaction to the caffeine).

    2) Sensation in the teeth. I feel my teeth. I can’t decide if this is good or bad. What is definitely bad is that when I switch from warm food to a cool drink I get nasty electric shocks in my teeth. Rarely I have experienced tooth-ache like pain as a result of chilling my teeth with cold air or cold food. This pain lasts for 10 or fifteen minutes.

    3) Bone pain in the fourth finger on my left hand. This is very strange. Often within minutes of taking a vitamin D supplement, I notice a slight pain in the fourth finger of my left hand and nowhere else. I first experienced this feeling while taking 4000 IU/day and, at that dose, the pain got quite severe on the last day I took that dose.

    4) Nausea with fatigue.

    5) Ringing ears.

    6) Chest pain and heart sensations. I find this to be the worst and most alarming side effect. It caused me to shun all forms of vitamin D for two months. I went for a full cardiac workout and blood testing. I was informed that I’m in terrific health. Like the bone pain, for me this side effect is more severe from supplements than from sunshine. 

    7) Insomnia. Vitamin D will make me fatigued during the day while at the same time it sometimes causes me to wake up near 4 am in the morning. I have alot of trouble falling back to sleep and sometimes get up between 5 and 6 instead of between 6:30 and 7:00.

    8) A bad mood. Vitamin D is known to have psychological effects. It is supposed to improve mood. I’m really uncomfortable with listing this as a side effect because it is so subjective. The other side effects are sufficient to put me in a bad mood. But my gut tells me it is worse than that and that the excess vitamin D is actually causing a feeling of doom. As time passes, I've become aware of more reports of feelings of doom.

    The following side effects have just emerged in April 2009. They are perfectly described on the Mayo Clinic list:

    9) Discharge of the eye, eyelid, and lining of the eyelid

    10) Increased sensitivity of eyes to light or irritation of eyes

    Read the Rest HERE

    Weight loss surgery 'HALVES the risk of dying from any cause up to 14 years

    Obese people can gain extra years of life after weight-loss surgery – halving their risk of dying early from any cause.

    Dramatic new evidence shows bariatric surgery – giving people procedures such as gastric bands – can improve long-term survival for patients from any age group.
    Researchers say it works by cutting diabetes and other obesity-related conditions including heart problems.
    Weight loss surgery includes gastric band surgery and gastric bypass (the stomach and intestines are pictured before, left, and after, right, the procedure). It can halve the risk of dying early from any cause
    Weight loss surgery includes gastric band surgery and gastric bypass (the stomach and intestines are pictured before, left, and after, right, the procedure). It can halve the risk of dying early from any cause It has also become safer in recent years, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

    The study found obese people had a 53 per cent lower risk of dying from any cause at five to 14 years after weight-loss surgery.

    The study involved 2,500 obese patients and nearly 7,500 matched control receiving care at medical centres in the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health system.

    Study leader Dr David Arterburn, of the Seattle-based Group Health Research Institute, said ‘We have tracked a large group of patients for a long enough time that we can clearly see a strong link between bariatric surgery and long-term survival.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2899124/Weight-loss-surgery-HALVES-risk-dying-cause-14-years-procedure.html#ixzz3O8leSyJb

    The 'Miracle berry' that makes even Brussels sprouts taste good

    If you can’t stomach vegetables there is a surprising  - and all natural -solution.
    Known as the Miracle Berry, this jellybean-shaped fruit can make sour and bitter foods taste sweet - and the sensation lasts for up to two hours after eating.

    The fruit contains a protein called miraculin that binds to the taste buds on the tongue and ‘trips’ flavors to appear sweeter.

    Known as the Miracle Berry, this jellybean-shaped fruit (pictured) can make sour and bitter foods taste sweet - and the sensation lasts for up to two hours after eating. It contains a protein called miraculin that binds to the taste buds on the tongue and โ€˜tripsโ€™ all flavours to appear sweetenedย 
    Known as the Miracle Berry, this jellybean-shaped fruit (pictured) can make sour and bitter foods taste sweet - and the sensation lasts for up to two hours after eating. It contains a protein called miraculin that binds to the taste buds on the tongue and ‘trips’ all flavours to appear sweetened 


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2899162/The-Miracle-berry-makes-Brussels-sprouts-taste-good-help-curb-rising-obesity-levels.html#ixzz3O8g9gKQi

    Pill tricks the body into thinking it has consumed large number of calories

    Could an 'imaginary meal' pill solve the obesity crisis? Drug tricks the body into feeling full - AND lowers cholesterol and blood sugar

    Fexaramine sends out the same signals that normally happen when you eat a lot of food, so the body starts clearing out space to store it, say the Californian scientists behind the research. The pill tricks the body into thinking it has consumed a large amount of calories - as if you have just eaten a substantial meal.

    The dieter's dream, it would allow them to continue to enjoy fatty foods without putting on weight.

    The drug, which tricks the body into believing it has eaten, also cuts cholesterol and keeps blood sugar levels under control.

    Researcher Ronald Evans said: 'This pill is like an imaginary meal.

    'It sends out the same signals that normally happen when you eat a lot of food, so the body starts clearing out space to store it. 

    'But there are no calories and no change in appetite.'

    British doctors described the US breakthrough as potentially of great importance – but cautioned that much more work needs to be done.


    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2897443/Could-imaginary-meal-pill-solve-obesity-crisis-Drug-tricks-body-feeling-lowers-cholesterol-blood-sugar.html#ixzz3O0UYshnv
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