Month: January 2011

"It is our hope that this simple and safe treatment will delay development of Alzheimer's in many people who suffer from mild memory problems."

Researchers assigned 168 people suffering from mild cognitive impairment to take either a placebo or a pill containing 15 times the recommended daily dose of vitamin B6, four times the recommended dose of B9 and 300 times the recommended dose of B12. These vitamins are known to lower levels of the amino acid homocysteine, which has been linked to Alzheimer's disease.

Approximately 50 percent of people who suffer from mild cognitive impairment eventually develop a more severe form of dementia.

On average, the brains of patients taking the vitamins shrank at half the rate of those taking a placebo. The benefit was most pronounced in patients whose homocysteine levels were high at the start of the study.

An estimated 35 million people around the world suffer from dementia, including 26.6 million with Alzheimer's disease. In the United States, Alzheimer's rates are estimated at 1.2 percent of the general population, climbing to as high as 42 percent of those older than 84.

"Clearly, in the Western World, dementia is not a rare problem," write doctors Abram Hoffer and Harold D. Foster in Feel Better, Live Longer with Vitamin B-3.

"Indeed, R. Katzman and colleagues have argued that in people more than 75 years of age, new cases of dementia occur as frequently as myocardial infarction and twice as often as stroke."

The authors note that Hoffman has been prescribing vitamin B3 to patients who show preliminary signs of age-related cognitive impairment since 1955.

(NaturalNews) A new study from the University of California, San Francisco reveals that 100 percent of expectant mothers (sample size = 268) are contaminated with highly toxic synthetic chemicals. The study, published in Environmental Health Perspectives, concluded, "Certain PCBs, organochlorine pesticides, PFCs, phenols, PBDEs, phthalates, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and perchlorate were detected in 99 to 100% of pregnant women."

EDTA

The poisoning of our bodies by chemical companies
Where do all these chemicals come from? Pesticides are sprayed on crops, of course, and the new so-called "Food Safety" bill passed by Congress does absolutely nothing to reduce pesticide levels of food (that's not part of their definition of "safety," apparently). In addition, S.510 actually places a new burden on U.S. farmers, shifting the competitive advantage to food importations from countries where the most toxic pesticides are still legal to use. (Yes, farms outside the U.S. can spray DDT on their crops, then import them into the USA for consumption.)

Phthalates are chemical plasticizers. Pharmaceutical pills are often coated with phthalates to give them a shiny finish. They're also used in children's toys, medical devices, personal care products, sunscreens and even sex toys. On the personal care side, phthalates are found in perfumes, eye shadow, liquid soap, nail polish and hair spray (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/art…).

Phthalates are known as "endocrine disruptors" because they interfere with normal endocrine system function — potentially leading to obesity and birth defects (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phthal…).

Perchlorate, also known as the "rocket fuel chemical," is used in the manufacture of automobile airbags and other vehicle parts. It's also present in many fireworks, and is frequently found contaminating the water supply.

We could go on with more details, but here's the point: We live in a toxic stew of synthetic chemicals — chemicals that the plastics industry and the American Chemistry Council tend to say are all completely harmless, of course. The FDA allows thousands of other chemicals to be used in food and personal care products, and the processed food manufacturers inject an alarming array of toxic chemicals into their foods (and food packaging materials).

The average U.S. consumer bathes their clothing in extremely toxic fabric softeners and perfumed laundry detergents that make them smell like walking fragrance factories. The exhaust air from dryer vents even pollutes the air in residential neighborhoods and apartment buildings.

With all this going on, is anybody really surprised that 100% of pregnant women are contaminated with toxic chemicals?

The Roman Empire poisoned itself with lead in the water supply. The American empire has decided to poison itself with the "miracle of modern chemistry" as found in all the pesticides, plasticizers, additives, preservatives and other chemicals that a typical first-world consumer poisons themselves with a thousand times a day.

You just gotta love Proctor & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, Unilever and all the other consumer product companies using synthetic chemicals to manufacture personal care products. It is corporations like these, in my opinion, whose products are poisoning our bodies and contaminating our world with dangerous synthetic chemicals. That's why I personally refuse to buy any products manufactured by such companies.

Ten powerful ways to protect yourself from toxic chemicals
If you want to protect yourself from these toxic chemicals, here's how to do it:

#1) Don't put anything on your skin you wouldn't eat! Avoid all mainstream consumer skin care, cosmetics and personal care products, period! Need soap? Try natural, organic brands like Dr Bronner's, AnnMarie Gianni or Pangea Organics.

#2) Don't eat foods made with chemicals you can't pronounce. Read the ingredients labels. If the list of ingredients is too long and complex to figure out, it's probably made more with chemicals than actual food.

#3) Don't poison your body with over-the-counter drugs or prescription pharmaceuticals. If you do need to use medication for short-term emergency use, be sure to detoxify your liver afterwards.

#4) Detox your liver, kidneys and colon at least once a year. You can do this with a juice fast combined with detox supplements such as those offered by www.GlobalHealingCenter.com or www.BaselineNutritionals.com (get professional guidance from a naturopath before fasting).

#5) Drink more water. Most people simply don't consume enough water to effectively remove toxins from their bodies. If you don't like water by itself, drink fresh vegetable juices such as celery or cucumber juice (which are actually structured water).

#6) Cleanse your body with parsley, alfalfa, red clover, chlorella or chlorophyll. All these substances can help cleanse your body and eliminate toxic substances that may be detrimental to your health.

#7) Don't fill your home or apartment with products that off-gas toxic chemicals: Air fresheners, perfumed candles, particle board furniture, carpets, glues, etc.

#8) Don't cook on non-stick cookware. These are the worst! Invest in quality copper-clad stainless steel pans and use those. They'll last a lifetime and they don't contaminate your body with chemicals. Don't eat at restaurants that use non-stick cookware. (That's just about every restaurant in the world, it seems…)

#9) Buy certified organic products. In the USA, the USDA Organic Seal is a trusted seal that genuinely indicates organic quality (both in foods and personal care products). Don't be fooled by brand names that use the word "organics" in their name but aren't really organic. For example, "Bob's Organics" may or may not actually be organic. The Organic Consumers Association (www.OrganicConsumers.org) can keep you posted on what's what.

#10) Get the cancer out of your laundry! Stop washing your clothes in toxic brand-name laundry detergents, and stop using brand-name fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Do you have any idea what chemicals are used in those products? The truth would astonish you.

And, of course, keep reading NaturalNews.com to stay up to speed on what's really good for you versus things that actually threaten your health. There is absolutely no question that the average chemical contamination of NaturalNews readers is far below that of typical American consumers.

Stay healthy by staying informed. Don't become another contaminated victim of the chemical industry.

But, as the name states, the condition is benign, meaning it is never going to be a deadly disease. In fact, while mainstream medical doctors are often quick to prescribe drugs to treat any sign of BPH, statistics show that although the condition affects about 75% of men by the time they are 80 years old less than half ever have BPH symptoms that are truly clinically significant (such as pain on urination and extremely frequent urination).

So what does this have to do with male pattern baldness and "man boobs"? Plenty. It turns out, as more and more men were prescribed (5a-RIs), an unexpected side effect started showing up. Many who were balding began to grow their hair back. Voila! Big Pharma had another way to push the drugs. Now prescriptions for the 5a-RI known as finasteride (brand name Propecia) are handed out to countless young men who have no BPH problems at all in order to fight their male pattern baldness. Unfortunately, with huge numbers of men now taking the meds for two benign conditions, BPH and baldness, other far less welcome side effects than hair growth have become all too common.

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM), in collaboration with colleagues at Lahey Clinic and from Denmark and Germany, have documented that 5a-RIs produce significant adverse effects in some men including loss of libido, impotence, ejaculatory dysfunction, depression and the growth of "man boobs" (known by the medical term gynecomastia). And here's an extra worrisome fact — the side effects don't always go away when the drugs are stopped. Bottom line: the scientists are urging extreme caution before doctors prescribe 5a-RIs therapy to patients to promote hair growth or for BPH.

For their study, which was just published in The Journal of Sexual Medicine, the researchers investigated data reported in numerous clinical studies concerning the side effects of two 5a-RIs, finasteride and dutasteride. Their results showed that some men treated with these drugs suffered prolonged adverse effects on sexual function such as erectile dysfunction and diminished libido, raising the strong possibility the medications were the cause.

What's more, the scientists noted that the side effects of 5a-RIs on sexual function, gynecomastia (the development of "man boobs") and the impact on the overall health of men taking these drugs has received minimal attention despite the fact such side effects can wreak havoc on sexual function, take an emotional toll and decrease the quality of life.

"Honest and open discussion with patients to educate them on these serious issues must be pursued prior to commencing therapy because, in some patients, these adverse effects are persistent and may be prolonged and patients do not recover well after discontinuation from drug use," lead author Abdulmaged M. Traish, MBA, PhD, a professor of biochemistry and professor of Urology at BUSM, said in a statement to the media.

Pine cone seeds contain a high lignan extract that has been shown not only to inhibit HIV transmission, but also reverse the damage caused to the body by HIV-infected white blood cells. The "pokeweed" plant and at least three other North American prairie plants have shown HIV-preventive effects as well. And plant sterols in general seem to protect healthy cells from being invaded by HIV. These and other details came from a recent report by FOX News.

For treating HIV-related symptoms like "wasting syndrome" and neuropathy, cannabis, also known as marijuana, has proven itself to be highly effective. Cannabis spurs appetite in those with "wasting syndrome", helping them to eat more and gain weight, and it also reduces or completely eliminates the severe pain associated with neuropathy.

And the Reishi mushroom, which is known for its powerful immune-boosting activity, is also a favorite among Chinese herbalists treating HIV because it can help improve overall condition and even potentially help reverse the disease altogether.

But the same people that put together the "got milk?" campaign would like everyone to think so, as they have now launched an initiative to pressure mothers to give their children more processed milk in order to fill the nutrient gap. And they are hiring celebrities like Susan Sarandon, UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador, to help market the message to the masses.

By now, NaturalNews readers probably already know that the vast majority of humankind is deficient in vitamin D. And the best way to get vitamin D is from natural sunlight exposure, because when ultraviolet rays hit they skin they trigger the natural production of the vitamin in the body. Supplementation with vitamin D3 is another viable option when sunlight exposure is limited, as it synthesizes easily in the body.

But the processed milk crusaders are claiming that processed milk is the best source of vitamin D, even though the type commonly used is vitamin D2, a form that is not that easily absorbed by the body. Vitamin D2 does not occur naturally in processed milk, and is added in such limited amounts that it hardly provides much significant benefit.

There are also better sources of potassium and calcium than processed milk, including bananas, nuts, beans and spinach, to name a few. And raw, grass-fed milk that has not been processed is another great natural source of vital nutrients, minerals and enzymes.

(NaturalNews) Researchers from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) have found that vitamin D plays an important role in mitigating chronic hives. Jill Poole, M.D., and her colleagues observed that patients with chronic hives typically have very low vitamin D levels, and that supplementing with the vitamin may help to alleviate their condition and improve their overall health.

Published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, the study revealed that nearly half of the chronic hives patients evaluated were deficient in vitamin D, which is a step lower than insufficient vitamin D levels. Consequently, Poole believes that chronic hives patients who either expose themselves to more sunlight to generate vitamin D, or take vitamin D supplements to up their levels, will experience improved health.

Vitamin D deficiency is linked to a host of diseases including diabetes, osteoporosis, heart disease, hypertension and cancer. The body produces vitamin D naturally from regular sunlight exposure but, especially during the winter, many people spend too little time in the sun to derive any significant benefit. And when they do venture out, they typically lather themselves in chemical-laden, UV-blocking sunscreens that prevent the vitamin D-producing sun rays from penetrating the skin.

What's more, starting in the 17th century, arsenic was the primary therapy for treating a type of leukemia known as chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Today the arsenic compound arsenic trioxide (ATO) is FDA approved for the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia. And now there's more remarkably good news about normally feared arsenic.

A team of researchers, led by Aykut Uren of Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C., has found evidence that arsenic might be a therapy for hard-or-impossible-to-treat types of brain tumors as well as connective tissue tumors. Specifically, years of research have revealed a common pathway (the hedgehog/GLI1 signaling pathway) that is activated in tumors called medulloblastomas and connective tissue tumors known as Ewing sarcoma (ES). This activation causes cancer tumors to grow and spread.

In research just published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, the Georgetown scientists described how they used the arsenic trioxide compound to shut down that pathway in mice models of ES and medulloblastoma. The result? The growth of cancer cells was dramatically suppressed.

According to a media statement, Dr. Uren explained that this pathway is also commonly activated in other cancers, including colon, pancreatic, and basal cell skin cancer. That means the arsenic compound can and should be tested immediately on these other malignancies.