Technology Related Health Hazards - - Excessive Usage of Cell/Mobile Phones: A Possible Threat to Your Healthy Life

One of the most common sights we see these days, is that of people with their mobile phones next to their ears. A boon for better communication, cell phone usage nonetheless has many health hazards. Various studies indicate that the emissions from a cell phone can be extremely harmful, causing genetic damage, tumors, memory loss, and increased blood pressure and weakening of the immune system. This is alarming information, and one has to take into account all these factors..

CELL PHONES AND HEALTH

Though there is no evidence of cell phones causing cancer or any such illness, but the suspicion, or fear of the same is not baseless either. The electromagnetic radiation from cell phones does have a potential link to cancer. The fact that this radiation is invisible, intangible, and enters and leaves our bodies without our knowledge makes it even more intimidating.

Possible hazards:

* Two minutes of exposure to emissions from mobile phones can disable a safety barrier in blood causing proteins and toxins to leak into the brain, could increase chances of developing Alzheimer's multiple sclerosis and Parkinson's. (Scientists at Sweden's Lund University)
* Scientists say exposure to the phones' low-level radiation causes red blood cells to leak hemoglobin and can lead to heart disease and kidney stones.
* Recent studies suggesting a link between cell-phone use and brain tumors, and the possibility that the microwaves could ignite petroleum fumes at gas stations.
* A cell phone unit, or communications tower, has so many of thee radiation emanating gadgets. This can be a problem for its immediate environment.

SPECIFIC HEALTH CONCERNS

Cancer / Tumors

Studies have been conducted suggesting that rats that have been exposed to microwaves similar to the sort generated by mobile phones but more powerful, showed breaks in their DNA which could indicate an adverse effect. Also, mice exposed to radiation for 18 months developed brain tumors. Though of course, these studies are not concrete proof.

Blood Pressure

It was observed that people using cell phones were prone to high blood pressure. Again, there isn't any concrete evidence of the same.

Pregnancy

A study at the University of Montpellier in France was carried out on 6000 chick embryos and suggested that the heavily exposed chick eggs were five times less likely to survive than the control group. This study raised questions about possible effects on pregnant women but it has not yet appeared in peer-reviewed scientific literature or been reproduced, so its findings are difficult to assess.

Headaches, Heating Effects, Fatigue

A study brought out that longer the people used mobile phones, the more likely they were to report symptoms such as hot ears, burning skin, headaches and fatigue.

The study did not include a control group (that is people who do not use mobile phones, to make a comparison); therefore the symptoms reported could have been caused by any number of other factors in the mobile phones users' environment, such as working with computers, stress, driving or reading.

Memory

There have been various studies into the connection between mobile phones and memory loss. A study looked into the effect of radio frequency (RF) on the section of rats' brains that is linked with the memory. The results showed that RF could modify signals in the cells in a part of the brain that is responsible for learning and short term memory.

Posture (holding phone between raised shoulder and ear)

Some researchers claim that holding a mobile phone between the raised shoulder and the ear could have a damaging effect on muscles, bones, tendons and discs. These problems would apply equally to a cordless phone or a landline phone as to a mobile phone and are the effect of bad posture.

Mobile Phones and Children
Because of their smaller heads, thinner skulls and higher tissue conductivity, children may absorb more energy from a given phone than adults.

PREVENTION TIPS

* Cell phones should be used for emergencies, and not for long conversations.
* A small chip-like cell phone microwave radiation protection device is available, which has the ability to absorb electromagnetic energy waves from your mobile phone. It helps in reducing the potential harmful effects of these emissions to the human body.
* Using a mobile headset is a good idea, you don't have to hold phones next to your ears all the time
* Use a hands free mobile car kit while driving, without taking your hands off the steering wheel

THE WHO (World Health Organization) RULES

* Mobile phone users should limit their exposure to harmful radio frequencies by cutting the length of calls.
* Hands-free devices cut exposure by keeping the instrument away from the head and body.
* Driving cum mobile phone talking should be banned.
* Mobile phones should not be used in Intensive Care Units of hospitals as they can pose a danger to patients by interfering with the working of pacemakers and defibrillators.
* People with hearing aids should not use mobile phones.
* Base stations, which have low powered antennae on their terrace to communicate with cell phones, should not be located near children's schools and playgrounds.

CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING

Studies indicate that a lot of car accidents have happened, while the driver was on the phone. This is because while driving, one obviously needs to concentrate, and talking on a phone doesn't help. Some countries like Portugal have banned the use of cell phones, which may not be very practical, as their main use is to be reachable while you are on the move. Thus, it is important to take certain precautions while driving:

* Position your phone within easy reach so that you don't have to take your eyes off the road.
* Get to know the features of your cell phone - speed dial, redial, voice mail, they can be your lifesaver. But don't dial and drive at the same time. Use a hands free kit.
* Avoid using a phone when road conditions are hazardous or traffic is heavy. You can let your voice mail take messages and then call back later.
* Don't engage in stressful conversations that may distract your attention from the road.
* Don't take notes or look up phone numbers whilst driving, wait till you can pull over.
* User abbreviated speed dialing. In fact, voice activated dialing is even better. It leaves both hands free. Frequently called numbers can be programmed.
* Have an answering machine installed that could take messages until you can return the calls. Let your co-passenger handle the calls if you are not traveling alone.

Good Night's Sleep: A Lifesaver - - Six to Eight Hours Sleep At Night is The Best to Live Long

Getting a good night's sleep could be a lifesaver.

Those of us who manage between six and eight hours of shut-eye a night are more likely to live longer and have better health, a study has found.

Researchers say the best length for a nightly sleep is around seven hours - the time spent in bed by most Britons.

Their findings provide the most convincing evidence yet of a link between too little sleep and an increased risk of early death.

Around one third of the UK adult population regularly sleeps five hours or less a night.

Researchers from the University of Warwick and the Federico II University in Naples studied the nightly habits of thousands of people and found poor sleepers are 12 per cent more likely to die prematurely than those who get six to eight hours.

Long sleepers could also be in trouble if they regularly exceed nine hours a night.

While over-sleeping does not in itself increase the risk of death, it can be a significant marker of an underlying serious illness.

The findings published in journal Sleep today coincide with the release of a separate American study that found older people tend to sleep better - the opposite of what was previously thought.

'Organic' Label on Snacks - - A Source of Enticing for Overeating??

Organic labels on snacks appear to make people think that they have a lot less calories than they actually do, a study suggests.

The study showed that people, who ate cookies labelled as 'organic', believed that their snack contained 40 percent fewer calories than the same cookies that had no label, says Jenny Wan-Chen Lee, graduate student at Cornell Food and Brand Lab.

'An organic label gives a food a 'health halo,' said co-author Brian Wansink, Cornell University professor and author of the book, 'Marketing Nutrition'.

'It's the same basic reason people tend to overeat any snack food that's labelled as healthy or low fat. They underestimate the calories and over-reward themselves by eating more,' said Wansink.

The study even identified two personality types most likely to make these low estimates -- people who claim to 'usually buy organic foods,' and those who typically read labels for nutritional information.

"Go organic, live healthy, live green"

What if you don't want to overeat an organic food?

'Take your best guess at its calorie count. Then double it. You'll end up being more accurate, and you'll probably eat a lot less,' explained Wansink, according to Cornell University release.

These findings were presented at this week's Experimental Biology conference in Anaheim, California.

Breakthrough in Breast Cnacer Treatment - - New Test Predicts Who Get Invasive Breast Cancer

In a major breakthrough which may prevent needless surgery, scientists claim to have developed a test that can predict whether women treated for an early form of breast cancer will develop dangerous tumours later in life.

Sufferers are often advised to undergo mastectomies, that is, removal of their breasts as a precaution. Now, an international team has devised the test that can successfully predict whether after initial treatment, the sufferers had a high or low risk of developing invasive cancer, the Daily Mail reported.

"Women will have much more information, so they can better know their risk of developing invasive cancer. It will lead to a more personalised approach to treatment.

"As many as 44 per cent of patients may not require any further treatment, and can rely instead on surveillance," Prof Karla Kerlikowske of California University , who led the research, was quoted as saying.

If a test is developed for wider use, doctors would be able to advise women about the need for extra treatment such as radiotherapy or hormonal drugs, say the scientists. The scientist, writing in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute , found that three biomarkers -- proteins and other molecules in breast tissue -- that can identify which women have double the risk of invasive cancer in later years.

It could benefit women with ductal carcinoma in situ -- cancer in cells lining the milk ducts that has not spread.

Back Pain Can Ruin Your Day - - 3 Simple Exercises to Stay Away From Back Pain

Avoid your day to be ruined by back pain! There are several of methods for you to get immediate relief from the pain, even without taking any painkillers. What you have to do is to make a little bit of space and start doing some simple exercises to loosen up your muscles. This is all you have to do to stop your lower back from hurting and get you started to enjoy the rest of your day!

These exercises mentioned below work well to get the blood moving in your body, release the endorphins, and throw the pain in your back away, at least for the time being:

1. Knee Bends

Use a chair, desk, or table for support. Place your hands on the support, then slowly bend your knees to lower yourself as much as you can comfortably go. Remember to exhale while doing so. Then slowly bring yourself to stand back upright while inhaling. Do this motion for 10 times.

2. Waist Twist

Stand with your legs slightly apart. Let your arms fall loose to your sides. Then, gently swing your arms left and right, letting your hands pat the lower part of your back each time they reach around. This will gently massage your kidneys. Do this motion for about 10 times also.

3. Hip Roll

Remain standing with your legs shoulder-width apart. Tighten up your stomach muscles and place your hands on your hips. Imagine you are playing the hula and just start rotating your hips 5 times clockwise and 5 times anti-clockwise.

How do you feel now? You should no longer feel the pain in your lower back after doing these exercises properly, and be able to get on with your daily activities as usual now!

But don't get me wrong here...

These exercises are not meant to PERMANENTLY stop your lower back from hurting. Once you have regained mobility and flexibility after doing the exercises, you should definitely look into finding what is the root cause of your back pain, and how to get rid of it altogether in order to enjoy life to the fullest, for good!

Pills With a Chip Inside: Created by Engineers at the University of Florida - - A System to Prevent Patients Who Circumvent Medical Treatment

Engineers at the University of Florida create a system to prevent patients who circumvent medical treatment.

A pill equipped with a small chip that sends an alert when it was ingested would be the solution for those who forget (or refuse) to take their medication.



The action is quite simple: inside a white capsule, common, is the microchip. Around it, covering the pill, are silver lines that constitute the antenna – a kind of label printed using ink made of silver nanoparticles and nontoxic conductors.

The pill does not require a battery because a mini-explosion is responsible for sending signals from low voltage to a small electronic device charged (or used) by the patient. In the future, it can be embedded in mobile phones and watches, to further facilitate the control. The device sends signals to a phone or laptop warning that the pill was ingested and informs the doctor that the medicine was taken.

Eventually, the patient’s stomach acid breaks down the antenna and the dish – while the microchip is in the entire intestinal tract before being expelled.

The pill is still a prototype, but the idea is that it can be used on a large scale. According to the American Heart Association, the failure in following the rules on drugs is the number one problem in treating diseases. In the U.S., 10% of hospitalizations were the result of relapse of patients to follow medication.

Laughter is The Best Medicine, New Study Reveals - - Laughercise: The Subtitute of Exercise and Gym Workout

Cracking up with laughter has similar effects on the body as a gym workout, a study has shown.

Sessions of mirth - dubbed 'Laughercise' - enhance mood, reduce stress hormones, boost the immune system and lower blood pressure and levels of 'bad' cholesterol, say researchers.

And like physical exercise, they also appear to stimulate appetite, offering a potential way to help malnourished patients who are off their food.

Californian scientist Dr Lee Berk said the effects of laughter mirrored those of repetitive exercise.

Volunteers watched two 20-minute videos - one distressing and one humorous. There was a week between viewings to ensure the effects did not overlap.

The researchers measured blood pressure and levels of two appetite hormones, leptin and ghrelin.

No significant effect was seen after volunteers viewed the distressing video. But watching the humorous clip caused changes in blood pressure and led levels of leptin to decrease as those of ghrelin went up.

Similar effects are seen straight after moderate physical exercise, and are accompanied by an increase in appetite.

Dr Berk said: 'The value of the research is that it may provide healthcare providers with new insights and understandings, and thus further options for patients who cannot use physical activity to normalise or enhance their appetite.'

Many elderly patients suffer from 'wasting' due to reduced appetite as a result of depression and lack of physical activity.

Such patients may be able to use 'Laughercise' to help them regain their appetite, say the scientists.

A similar loss of appetite is often seen in elderly patients after the death of a spouse, and people in chronic pain.

Dr Berk added: 'It's fascinating that positive emotions resulting from behaviours such as music playing or singing, and now mirthful laughter, translate into so many types of biological mechanism optimisations.

'As the old biblical wisdom states, it may be true that laughter is a good medicine.'

Vital Information About Brain Haemorrhage - - Causes and Symptoms of This Life-Threatening Disorder

What is Brain Haemorrhage?

Did you know a brain haemorrhage is a type of stroke? This can result from an artery in a person's brain bursting and this causes a bleeding in surrounding tissues. When bleeding occurs, it actually kills the brain cells. Did you know that brain haemorrhages are also called cerebral haemorrhages, intracerebral haemorrhages, or intracranial haemorrhages? These two type haemorrhages account for approximately 13% of strokes.



What are the causes of Brain Haemorrhages?

The causes for bleeding in the brain and other risk factors can cause a person to have a brain haemorrhages. Here are several factors that can cause a brain haemorrhage:

(1) A brain tumor

(2) Liver disease can also cause an increased bleeding in the brain.

(3) Amyloid angiopathy is another cause for bleeding in the brain. This is usually caused by an abnormality of the blood vessel walls which occurs normally in older people. A person may suffer from a small, unnoticed bleeds before it causes a larger one.

(4) Haemophilia and sickle cell anemia can also cause a blood or bleeding disorder because it can decrease levels of blood platelets.

(5) A person can also be born with a weakness in their blood vessels when they are born and they're never diagnose unless the person has symptoms.

(6) A head trauma resulting from an injury can also cause bleeding in the brain for people under 50.

(7) A weakening in a blood vessel wall causing it to swell and burst and bleed into the brain, thus, resulting in a stroke. This is known as an aneurysm.

(8) A person who has high blood pressure is also at risk of suffering a brain haemorrhage, because if it is left untreated, it weakens the person's blood vessel walls and can cause a brain haemorrhage.

What are the symptoms of Brain Haemorrhages?

A person may complain with the following when they are suffering from a brain hemorrhages. The symptoms of a person's brain haemorrhage can often vary because of the bleeding, the amount of tissue affected, and the severity of the bleeding within the brain. A person's symptoms may come on immediately or progressively get worse.

These symptoms I'm listing are a sign of a life-threatening condition, and you should call 911 or take the individual to an emergency room immediately. Here are the symptoms, i.e., loss balance, a sudden severe headache, loss of coordination, seizures with no previous history of seizures, loss of motor skills, weakness occurring in the arms and legs, difficulty writing or reading, nausea or vomiting, decreased alertness; lethargy, difficulty swallowing, changes in their vision, tingling or numbness and difficulty in speaking or understanding the person's speech.

Your Skin: The Natural Indicator of Your Health - - Few Tips and Nutritional Factors That Can Help Rejuvinate Your Skin

Normally, your skin is the first thing that has been noticed by others, when they meet you first time. In fact, your skin can also show the reality that you may not be receiving the proper nutrition. On the other hand, it also serves as the natural indicator of your health and weak skin conditions clearly show that you are not exactly at the peak of your health or suffering from some kind of ailment right now.

Reading these lines and observing your own skin you may run to get instant medication. But, in my advice, instead of consulting to the doctor or dermatologist for some over-the-counter medications or makeup stuff that may glow your skin for the time being but can make your skin look even bad in the long run; it might be the best if you could do something to recover your natural health nutrition that can ultimately affect your skin positively. And I’m sure, some of the best sources for natural nutrition can be found right inside your refrigerator, or at the very least… found in your local grocery store. Here is a list of food stuff that can be used to help rejuvenate the tone, feeling and texture of your skin.

Banana – A Source of Vitamin A:

Banana is a healthy source of potassium, as well as Vitamin A. The crushed pulp of banana, mixed with honey and about ½ cup of oats can make a good cleansing face mask that will leave the skin feeling firm but flexible.

Strawberry – A Source of Vitamin C:

Strawberry is rich in Vitamin C, but it also has astringent characteristics. Strawberries in the pulped form can be applied as a good natural facial cleanser and body wash. It can clean-up pores and thus brighten the tone of you skin. It also gives cool and fresh feeling after each wash.

Melon – A Source of Vitamin B & C:

Ripe melons are natural sources of Vitamin B and C. Additionally, it also contains naturally cooling characteristics; therefore, it can be applied on damaged and affected skin. For an optimal outcome; just crush the melon (overripe melons are good for that purpose) and use directly on the affected or damaged skin parts. Keep the pulp there for 10 minutes and softly clean it up. Instantly, you will feel the soothing and cooling effect and you skin will feel like breathing fresh.

Parsley – As an Anti-freckle Paste:

It’s just unbelievable but true that parsley can be used as an anti-freckle paste. It has the characteristics that lighten up your skin and skin is felt like cheered up because Parsley is also full of antioxidants. For best results, crush the parsley leaves in a crusher and add 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Let the blend together for 20 or 30 minutes until the parsley juice suffuse all throughout the oil. Apply it on the skin and leave it there for more almost half an hour. Then wash off with soap and softly slap the skin dry. Reuse the mixture whenever feasible.

Anise Oil – An Antibacterial Agent:

Anise is a fragrant seed that having antibacterial and astringent characteristics. Anise oil, which can be purchased readily at the baking section of your local grocery store, can be used directly on the skin to help clean-up the dead skin cells and purify blocked pores.

Macadamia oil – A Natural Skin Mediator:

Macadamia oil (found in specialty stores) is a natural skin mediator. This is an ideal product to use on dry, damaged, irritated or sun wrecked skin. Apply the Macadamia oil thoroughly on the damaged parts and let it to be dried. Do not wash off.

Water – A Real Source of Re-Hydration:

An undeniable fact is that dehydration and dryness makes your skin look frail, dry and deadly. The simple method to reverse this process is to increase your water intake that can revitalize your epidermis evidently. In the rising temperature splashing or spraying the water on your skin also nullify the heating effects on your skin; which, if not taken care of timely and properly, can lead to a bad looking, pale and dead skin. Washing your face often with mild soap and lukewarm water can also re-hydrate your skin immediately.

Playing iPod Too Loud for Prolonged Period of Time Developing Early Hearing Loss - - Warned by Royal National Institute Dor the Deaf NI

Thousands of young people in Northern Ireland risk developing early hearing loss as a result of playing iPods too loud, a leading charity has warned.

The Royal National Institute for the Deaf NI says listening to music on MP3 players at high volumes for prolonged periods of time is equivalent to listening to a power drill at close range.

In a bid to educate young people on the dangers, the charity will visit schools in the region as part of Noise Action Week to test the volume levels pupils set for their personal music players.

Research for the charity has found that 58% of 16 to 30-year-olds were unaware of any risk to their hearing from the devices.

It is estimated that between 124million and 165 million MP3 players have been sold in the EU.

Experts from the EU’s scientific committee have recommended a default maximum volume setting of 85 decibels, although sound levels inside the ear canal can reach around 120 decibels, as small earphones intensify volume.

RDNI research revealed that two-thirds (66%) of people who listen to music on these devices do so at volumes above the recommended 85db.

The World Health Organisation lists exposure to loud noise as the major avoidable cause of permanent hearing loss worldwide.

RNDI NI spokeswoman Claire Lavery said: “Millions plug in and don’t realise the music they love could be harming them. As a rule of thumb, if you can't hear external noises or it’s uncomfortable to listen to, the music is too loud — so turn it down a few notches.”

The warning comes following a call for more surveys to be conducted into the potentially harmful effects of iPods and MP3 players on young people’s hearing.

Noise Action Week runs from April 26-30.

How I Cured my RSI Pain?? An Interesting Article Detailing The Writer's Successful Experiment

How I Cured my RSI Pain is an interesting little article detailing the writer’s successful experiment with mind-body treatment for his RSI pain. What makes it especially intriguing is the fact that it’s written by Aaron Iba, a programmer, successful entrepreneur and someone who was ‘highly skeptical’ until he tried the technique and found it worked for his problem.

I think that’s the key really, that it may work for some people better than others, which doesn’t take away from the benefits, but just adds a note of caution to those who may be expecting miracles.

The book he relied on is called The Mindbody Prescription, written by a Dr John Sarno.

Disclaimer: I am a computer programmer, not a doctor. Maybe your condition is different from mine, and you need treatment besides just reading TMP. That said, it seems to me that if you suffer from chronic pain, then it makes sense to try reading TMP before you spend lots of time and money (as I did) on other things. Also, the author of TMP, Dr. John Sarno, is a doctor, and a professor of medicine at NYU, and has a successful practice in New York.

Sugary Products and Processed Food Can Lead to High Cholestrol Levels - - Research Published in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association

We've all heard that a diet high in fat can raise cholesterol levels; now new research finds so can a diet high in sugar and processed food.

The new research, detailed in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association, finds that those who eat a high amount of added sugars in prepared foods tend to have lower levels of HDL cholesterol (or "good cholesterol") and higher levels of triglycerides, another form of fat that circulates in the blood. Both lipids are important risk factors for heart disease.

The study looked at the nutritional data and blood test results of 6,000 adult men and women between 1999 and 2006. The study volunteers were divided into five groups according to the amount of added sugar and sweeteners they ate and drank each day. (The study did not look at natural sugars found in fruit and juices, only added sugars and sweeteners.)

The highest-consuming group consumed an average of 46 teaspoons of added sugars per day. The lowest-consuming group consumed an average of about three teaspoons daily.

On average, the volunteers ate 21 teaspoons a sugar a day, which adds up to 359 calories, representing about 16 per cent of their total daily calories.

The researcher found that average HDL cholesterol levels were lower among those volunteers who ate and drank higher amounts of added sugars:

In fact, among those who consumed the most sugar (10 per cent or more of their calories came from sugar), the odds that they'd have low HDL cholesterol levels were 50 to 300 per cent higher compared to those who ate the least amount of sugar.

They also found that higher consumption of added sugars was associated with higher triglyceride levels and higher ratios of triglycerides to HDL cholesterol.

The authors note that most Americans are consuming a lot more sugar than they did 30 years ago. Much of this sugar comes from sweeteners used by the food industry in processed or prepared foods to increase the "desirability" of these foods, the authors write.

They say this is the first large study of its kind to examine the link between sugar and cholesterol and triglyceride levels.

Study co-author Dr. Miriam Vos, and assistant professor of pediatrics at Emory School of Medicine says it's time that people "start looking at how much added sugar they're getting and finding ways to reduce that."

Her co-authors note it's also important to better understand the effect added sugars have on heart health "because added sugars are a potentially modifiable source of calories," they write in the study.

The authors note that there is not a clear understanding of how sugar could affect cholesterol levels. But they note that high amounts of fructose, which is processed in the liver, can cause the organ to increase production of triglycerides and LDL cholesterol.

They also note that the consumption of large amounts of added sugars is a relatively new phenomenon, having only begun with large-scale sugar production in the mid-19th century.

Dr. Yoni Freedhoff, the director and founder of Ottawa's Bariatric Medical Institute in Ottawa who was not involved in the research, speculates that humans probably weren't designed to consume large amounts of sugar.

"It's perhaps indicative of the fact that we're not built to process this amount of sugar that we see negative consequences to its consumption," he told CTV News.

He says it's not surprising that food makers add sugar to foods that most of us don't think of as sweet, such as soups, spaghetti sauce, muffins and just about every condiment, from ketchup to mayonnaise.

"It's a cheap way to make food taste better and making food taste better helps sell more food," he says.

Freedhoff notes that sugar can often appear many times on a food label, under a number of different names such as:

• Sucrose
• Fructose
• Dextrose
• Corn syrup
• Molasses
• Evaporated cane juice
• Fruit juice concentrate
• Honey
• Invert sugar
• Maltodextrin
• Polydextrose

He suggests that the easiest way to asses the product's sugar content is to read the actual sugar content on the Nutrition Facts panel.

"Four grams is a teaspoon" he notes, adding, "Obviously, less is more when it comes to sugar."

Smokers Have lower IQs Than Non-smokers: Latest Study Published in Britain - - Smoking Also Affects Intellectual Performance

Doctors believe that the decision to smoke is linked to a lower intellectual capacity. Research published in Britain suggests that smokers have lower IQs than non-smokers.

The researchers found that the lowest IQs were those who smoked more cigarettes per day. Besides causing damage to health are known, smoking also affects intellectual performance.

An article published in the British journal Addiction, “one of the most prestigious on smoking, highlights another risk factor, according to the survey, youth less intelligent are more likely to start smoking.

It was made a research with 20 thousand servicemen of the armed forces of Israel, aged between 18 and 21 years. The IQ of them was within the range considered normal, but, while non-smokers had a mean IQ of 101, those who smoked was 94.

The researchers found that the lowest IQs were those who smoked more cigarettes per day. A controversial conclusion.

The doctor Sergio Ricardo dos Santos notes that having parents or friends who smoke may be more decisive than the intelligence to the smoking habit. He remembers that the geniuses of music, like Mozart, were smoker. But he warned: the IQ of those who smoke may decrease with time.

Long Term Breast Cancer Study Reveals That "Old is Gold" - - Tamoxifen And Evista Cut Women's Risk of Developing Breast Cancer

WASHINGTON—A long-term study comparing two popular drugs that help to prevent breast cancer suggests the older one is significantly more effective over time.

But both tamoxifen and Eli Lilly & Co.'s newer Evista cut high-risk women's risk of developing breast cancer, according to results presented Monday at a meeting here of the American Association for Cancer Research. Tamoxifen, while more effective, also brought increased risk of side effects.

The federally funded study followed 19,490 women for almost seven years during and after their treatment with tamoxifen, an off-patent drug used to treat cancer, and Evista, which was developed as an osteoporosis drug and is generically known as raloxifene.

The drugs are used to fend off breast cancer in post-menopausal women at high risk of the disease. Only 5% to 20% of the tens of thousands who could benefit from the medicines use them, according to researchers.

In 2006, earlier published results of the study, known as STAR, found that both drugs cut the risk of breast cancer by 50% in high-risk, postmenopausal women. In those results, women taking tamoxifen had increased risk of certain side effects, such as blood clots.

Monday's findings suggest tamoxifen is significantly better than raloxifene at preventing breast cancer several years after treatment, which generally lasts about five years. Over the longer time period, tamoxifen cut the risk of invasive breast cancer by 50%, while raloxifene's effectiveness dropped to 38%. Raloxifene did match tamoxifen in preventing noninvasive breast cancer.

Raloxifene users continued to have significantly fewer side effects, including blood clots and uterine cancer, compared with those who took tamoxifen.

"Tamoxifen is still a little bit better," said D. Lawrence Wickerham, who presented the data and helps leads a federally funded research network on breast and colorectal cancer. But "raloxifene remains an effective way to prevent breast cancer and does it with far less toxicity," said Dr. Wickerham, who serves as a consultant to Eli Lilly.

Unless women have a known risk for blood clots or uterine cancer, they can consider both drugs as breast-cancer prevention options, according to Dr. Wickerham. Raloxifene may be particularly beneficial for those post-menopausal women with fragile bones because it offers them a "two-for-one benefit," he said.

But not all experts agree that raloxifene is just as good an option as tamoxifen.

"Tamoxifen is more protective than raloxifene," said Mary Daly, chairwoman of clinical genetics Fox Chase Cancer Center site in Philadelphia, who ran the study at that site. "Raloxifene is falling behind. The longer we follow these women, the more that divide will grow."

These drugs work by acting like the hormone estrogen in some organs and by blocking the effect of estrogen in others. In the breast, both block estrogen's action, which prevents the progress of breast cancer or pre-malignant changes in the breast.

However, in the lining of the uterus, tamoxifen acts like estrogen. This may be the reason women taking it experience higher rates of endometrial cancer.

Tamoxifen stays in the body much longer than does raloxifene, which might be the reason for the difference in the drugs' effectiveness, said researchers.

Patricia Ganz, another study investigator and director of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, said she would incorporate the new findings into her practice by leaning toward tamoxifen for preventing breast cancer in high-risk women, those with a family history of the disease or who have had a biopsy to look at abnormally growing cells, or those with no uterus.

But if a woman had an elevated risk of blood clots or couldn't tolerate the side effects of tamoxifen, Dr. Ganz said she would suggest raloxifene.

"The updated results of the STAR trial provide important information to help guide patients and health-care professionals in weighing the risks and benefits of medications available to reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer," said Teeresa Shewman, a spokeswoman for Eli Lilly. "Lilly stands behind the safety profile and efficacy of Evista."

Eric Winer, director of the breast oncology center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, who wasn't involved in the study, agrees that there are more women in the U.S. who could benefit from these treatments than currently use them if they understood more about them.

"It doesn't mean that everyone should take it," said Dr. Winer. But, women "deserve to hear more."

Drinking Hazards - - Teenage Drinking Habits Lead to Increase in Breast-Related Diseases

Young women who drink alcohol put themselves at a higher risk of developing breast disease that is a known risk factor for cancer.

Women with benign breast disease have hard lumps in their breasts, which may in some instances turn cancerous. The broad group of conditions includes irregular cysts, breast discomfort, sensitive nipples, and itching. Earlier reports have linked adolescent drinking to benign breast disease based on women's recollections many years later but the participants were not followed up till adulthood.

To explore the link between alcohol consumption during teenage and risk of benign breast disease (BBD), researchers followed 6899 American women. The participants were made to complete annual questionnaires from 1996 through 2001, when they were 9 to 15 years old. The participants were the followed by questionnaires in 2003, 2005, and 2007. On the 2003 survey, the participants (then aged 16 – 23 years) provided information about their drinking habits during the previous year. On the 2005 and 2007 surveys, a total of 6899 women (aged 18 – 27 years) reported whether a health care provider had ever diagnosed them with BBD and whether it was confirmed by biopsy.

When the women were interviewed at age 18 to 27 years, 67 - or about 1 percent - said they had been diagnosed with benign breast disease and had the diagnosis confirmed with a biopsy. After adjusting for factors like body mass index, it was found that those who drank more were also more likely to suffer from the condition, with each average daily drink adding to the risk. Girls who drank 6 or 7 days a week had a five per cent higher risk of suffering from benign breast disease than those who never drank or who drank less than once a week.

It's not clear why alcohol would have an effect on the condition, but researchers speculate that alcohol's effect on the female hormone – oestrogen, could promote breast tissue growth.

Basic Dietary Information - - Few Diet Tips To Help You Get In Shape Faster

The word diet does not have to be a motive for distress and worry. Generally, this word only points towards the kind or form of food and/or the blend of food stuff you consume normally in your daily routine. Nevertheless, there might be the bunch of people who are taking more calories than they are spending and using up during their daily routine. Or simply you can say that, this bunch of guys doesn’t have a balanced meal plan which is the great source of adding to their slowly but steadily increasing weight. One of the best means of acquiring that balance and stability between calorie consumption and calorie utilization is to get reminded the essentials of food and its best combination.

Here are a few important diet-related instructions and guidelines to facilitate you to get back in shape straight away without spending too much money, time and energy.

1. Minimize Sugar: The Most Dangerous Ingredient of Our Daily Intakes:

Minimize your sugar usage. Presently, sugar is everywhere in our routine life style. You can find it in soft drinks, bakery items and almost all types of condiments and marinades. It’s quite evident and unfortunate that sugar items like table sugar, refined sugar, confectioner’s powder and honey have the natural tendency to disturb your blood sugar level. Once the sugar level is lifted up, this stimulates an auto-generated reaction intimating you that you want to eat, even though you are not actually starving, or you just had a rather heavy meal. As a result, this process tends to extra eating, even over-eating in some case, and the need to have more sugary food stuff… which further raises the blood sugar and the same goes on and on without a finishing terminal. You keep on getting weight and look more and more bulky and funny.

Consuming synthetic sweeteners can curb those unnecessary or excessive food requirements. However, it is also vital to keep in mind that long term use of synthetic sweeteners can also influence your health negatively in the future. Therefore, it is advised to keep away yourself, slowly and steadily, from your addiction on sugar, and then from artificial or synthetic sweeteners, and then from all types of sugary products totally. If, in the process, you find yourself in need for something sugary; try taking on a naturally sweetened fruit instead.

2. Reduce Consumption of Processed Foods:

Reduce, as much as possible, consumption of over processed crumbs. White bread and white pasta may be easier to work with and look nice to the eye. But in fact; these are over processed crumbs that have very small dietary importance. In reality, many of these, particularly those with “fortified” labels are now being artificially filled with minerals and vitamins just to make them more nourishing. The most horrible thing about these over processed crumbs is that they also raise the level of blood sugar immediately, which ultimately leads to overeating and thus resulting in steady weight increase.

Replace your normal bread and pasta with whole grain stuff; in order to stay yourself away from the overeating and getting weight gradually that will provide the stuff for other to make a fun. Darker and coarser colored breads and pasta need a bit more time to be torn down by the digestive system. In other words; their nutritional factors are released into the blood circulation at a slower but smooth rate, giving the body enough time to regulate the changes. Simultaneously, it makes you feel fuller for longer periods of time because the grains are larger and more fibrous.

3. Maximize Natural Water Intake:

Our body requires loads of water to fulfill its natural needs; as it consists of water about 70%. Therefore, increase the water intake as much as it could be; because no diet plan in the world is useful without this rule. Calorie-free water is the best weight loss product available. You can have large amount of water without worrying about possible weight increase or disturbing your blood sugar level. In order to take maximum benefits from water, it would be the best to replace most of your soft drinks, flavored drinks or sugary drinking stuff, for example sodas and alcoholic beverages, with plain and natural mineral water.

Stretching Before Exercise is Counter-productive And Potentially Harmful - - Revealed by Fitness Experts

If you are among those people who do stretching before workout, you should stop, fitness experts say.

While many people take it for granted that they should start their workout routines with some stretching for 20 to 30 seconds to loosen their muscles, most fitness experts now agree that stretching before exercise is counter-productive, potentially harmful and can cause tears to the muscle tissue.

Stretching Before Workout Tighten the Muscles

Traditional stretches, like when people bend over to touch their toes or stretch their legs, often cause the muscles to tighten rather than relax. Experts say that when people stretch to the maximum, they are more likely to pull a muscle.

According to experts at US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, during stretching, the body thinks it is at risk of being overstretched, therefore, it contracts and become tenser -making a person slower and increasing the possibility of injuries. (Telegraph, 16 April 2010)

Combing through more than 100 papers about stretching studies, experts at Disease and Prevention Center found that people who stretched before exercise were no less likely to suffer injuries such as a pulled muscle, which stretching is supposed to prevent. According to them, bending down to touch the toes with straight legs can overstretch the lower back muscles and stress the vertebrae. Adding a twisting movement to the toe-touch can also cause damage to the joints.

In 2008, a study conducted at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, revealed that athletes who did stretching before working out generated less force from their leg muscles than when they did not stretch at all. Other studies have also found that stretching decreases muscle strength by as much as 30 percent. (New York Times, 31 October 2008)

Warm-ups Must Begin With Light Jogging

Instead of stretching, experts recommend warming up with aerobic activity, light jogging or sport-specific exercise, like kicking for football or playing tennis. Light movement increases the heart rate and blood flow to the muscles, warming up the body temperature. While it is true that stretching helps with flexibility, people should only do it after a workout, or at the end of the day.

It is mistakenly believed that stretching helps muscles to stretch further. The new findings reveal that stretching causes muscles to contract even tighter in an attempt to prevent injury. Although the extent to which warm-ups and stretching prevent injury, still not clear, fitness experts have been clear that stretching alone before exercise does little or nothing to help.

Lauric Acid Found in Coconut Oil and Human Breast Milk Key to Acne Cure and Fight Spots

A face cream made from breast milk and coconut oil could cure acne, a new study claims.

A natural product found in both coconut oil and human breast milk – lauric acid – may offer treatment for acne, says a scientist.

The bioengineering graduate student from the UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering developed a “smart delivery system” – published in the journal ACS Nano in March – capable of delivering lauric-acid-filled nano-scale bombs directly to skin-dwelling bacteria (Propionibacterium acnes) that cause common acne.

Bioengineering graduate student Dissaya “Nu” Pornpattananangkul will present her most recent work on this experimental acne-drug-delivery system at Research Expo, the annual research conference of theUC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

Ph.D. student Dissaya “Nu” Pornpattananangkul is developing a smart system of drug delivery.

Lauric-acid-based treatments could avoid these side effects, the UC San Diego researchers say.

“It’s a good feeling to know that I have a chance to develop a drug that could help people with acne,” said Pornpattananangkul, who performs this research in the Nanomaterials and Nanomedicine Laboratory ofUC San Diego NanoEngineering professor Liangfang Zhang from the Jacobs School of Engineering.

The new smart delivery system includes gold nanoparticles attached to surfaces of lauric-acid-filled nano-bombs. The gold nanoparticles keep the nano-bombs (liposomes) from fusing together. The gold nanoparticles also help the liposomes locate acne-causing bacteria based on the skin microenvironment, including pH.

Once the nano-bombs reach the bacterial membranes, the acidic microenvironment causes the gold nanoparticles to drop off. This frees the liposomes carrying lauric acid payloads to fuse with bacterial membranes and kill thePropionibacterium acnes bacteria.

“Precisely controlled nano-scale delivery of drugs that are applied topically to the skin could significantly improve the treatment of skin bacterial infections. By delivering drugs directly to the bacteria of interest, we hope to boost antimicrobial efficacy and minimize off-target adverse effects,” said Zhang. “All building blocks of the nano-bombs are either natural products or have been approved for clinical use, which means these nano-bombs are likely to be tested on humans in the near future.”

"Dieting Without Exercise Will NOT Help You Lose Weight" - - A New Study, at Oregon Health & Science University About Combinationof Exercise and Diet

Role of exercise to loose weight, best dieting plans to loose weight, importance of exercise and dieting for weight loss are some of the information which health conscious and over weight people always try to get. However as per a new study, at Oregon Health & Science University it has been found that combination of exercise and dieting together gives best results for weight loss.


“Dieting without exercise 'will NOT help you lose weight',” reported the study. It said scientists believe that this may be because of “a natural compensatory mechanism that reduces a person's physical activity in response to a reduction in calories”.

This research was carried out in 18 female monkeys fed a high-fat diet for several years. They were then switched to a low-fat diet, reducing calorie intake by about 30% in the first month and 60% in the second. The monkeys did not lose a significant amount of weight in the first month, apparently because they reduced their activity levels. Contrary to the newspaper report, they did lose weight in the second month, even though they did even less physical activity. Another three female monkeys on a normal diet, but exercised on a treadmill, lost a similar proportion of their body weight to the monkeys on the calorie-restricted diet.

This study has several limitations, which increase the likelihood that differences between the groups other than diet and exercise influenced the results. Simply put, weight loss occurs when a person burns more calories than they consume. This can be achieved by either reducing calorie intake, increased physical activity or a combination of the two.

Where did the story come from?

This research was carried out by Dr Elinor L Sullivan and Dr Judy L Cameron from Oregon Health and Science University. The work was funded by the US National Institutes of Health. The study was published in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Physiology, Integrative and Comparative Physiology.

The Daily Mail and Express covered this research. Though both newspapers reported that the study was in monkeys, this was only mentioned partway through the article, and both articles were illustrated with pictures of young women. This could give the misleading impression that the study was in humans. Also, both newspapers suggest that it is not possible to lose weight by dieting alone. This conclusion was not supported by the study, which found that dieting monkeys lost weight in the second month of their diet.

What kind of research was this?

This research investigated the effects of dieting on weight in rhesus macaque monkeys. Though monkeys have many similarities to humans, there are also differences. In particular, when it comes to diet and lifestyle, simulating human behaviour in animals is difficult. Studies such as this may help us understand human biology and behaviour, but the findings may not be fully representative of what would be seen in humans.

What did the research involve?

The researchers used 21 adult female rhesus monkeys aged 9 to 13 years old in their study.

The first experiment involved 18 female monkeys that had had their ovaries removed and had been fed a high-fat diet (35% of calories from fat) for two-and-a-half years. This was meant to simulate the diet of many postmenopausal women in the Western world. These monkeys lived in individual cages during the study. During the first month of the study, the monkeys’ diet was changed to normal monkey food (5% fat), the aim being to reduce the monkeys’ calorie intake by 30% compared to their previous diet. In the second month, the aim was to reduce the calorie intake by a further 30% (that is, a 60% reduction in calories compared to their original high-fat diet). During the study, the monkeys’ physical activity, metabolic rate and weight were measured.

In the second experiment, three adult female monkeys were fed normal monkey food, supplemented with fresh fruit, vegetables and seeds. They lived in social groups in cages that had perches at various heights and had toys available. The monkeys were trained to exercise on a treadmill and did this for one hour a day, five days a week for 12 weeks, at 80% of their maximum capacity. This exercise programme was meant to simulate the recommended levels of activity by the American College of Sports Medicine to prevent weight gain and promote weight loss. The monkeys’ physical activity off the treadmill, metabolic rate and weight were also measured.

The authors analysed the first and second experiments separately, and looked at whether the exercise programme could theoretically compensate for any changes in energy expenditure in the first experiment.

What were the basic results?

In the first experiment, the researchers found that the monkeys ate 44% fewer calories in the first month than in their previous diet, and 68% fewer in the second month. After the first month, there was no significant weight loss, but there was a significant reduction in body weight in the seventh and eighth weeks of dieting. There was an average reduction in weight of 6.4% over the two months, and an average fat mass reduction of 212 grams. During the dieting period, daily activity reduced. This reduction was significant by the fourth week of the diet. Over the two months, physical activity reduced by 26% and metabolic rate also reduced, the equivalent to saving about 68 kilocalories of energy expenditure daily.

In the second experiment, the monkeys trained to use the treadmill lost about 6.1% of their body weight over the three-month exercise programme. Their physical activity off the treadmill did not change. Overall, the exercise programme was estimated to increase energy expenditure by about 70 kilocalories a day. Therefore, the researchers considered that this exercise programme could counteract the reduction in physical activity seen in the diet group.

How did the researchers interpret the results?
The researchers conclude that when the number of calories consumed is reduced by dieting, the body compensates by reducing physical activity, thus resisting weight loss. They say that and an exercise program of five hours of running per week is sufficient to counteract the diet-induced decrease in activity.

Conclusion

This study suggests that in female “postmenopausal” monkeys, a reduction in calorie intake results in a compensatory reduction in physical activity. This is unsurprising as the body is designed to try and maintain balance, and this mechanism would maintain a balance of calorie intake and expenditure. The second part of the study suggested that an exercise programme could increase energy expenditure enough to counteract this effect. It would have been useful if the researchers had tested their hypothesis by assessing weight loss in monkeys who were dieting but also taking part in the exercise programme, but this was not done. In addition, differences between species mean that these results may not apply directly to humans, particularly due to the complexity of human lifestyles.

There are a number of points to note about this study:

Monkeys in the first experiment lost weight in the second month of their diet, and overall lost a similar percentage of their body weight (6.4%) to the monkeys that exercised for three months (6.1%).
Differences in physical activity and other outcomes between the monkeys in the two experiments may not be entirely due to their diet and exercise. Firstly, the monkeys did not appear to have been randomly assigned into groups. Therefore, there could have been differences between them, other than their diet and exercise, that lead to the differences in weight loss. In addition, monkeys being fed the lower-calorie diet lived in smaller individual cages while dieting, while the monkeys who were exercising lived in social groups in larger cages with toys and perches on the walls. The exercising moneys also had their diets supplemented with fruit, vegetables and seeds, while the monkeys on lower-calorie diets did not. The exercising monkeys exercised for about three months, whereas the monkeys on lower-calorie diets were kept on these diets for two months. It is also unclear whether the monkeys in the second experiment had had their ovaries removed and previously been fed the same high-fat diet as the monkeys in the first experiment. These many differences could have contributed to the observations seen.

The research observed only a small number of female monkeys. This may not be representative of what would be seen if a greater number of animals of both sexes were studied.

This study does not tell us anything particularly surprising. Losing weight requires a person to burn more calories than they consume. Different people may wish to approach weight loss with different combinations of reduced calorie intake and increased physical activity to suit their needs, ability and lifestyle.