September 2009
20 posts
13 tags
Chewing gum improves recovery from c-sections →
Sept 2, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Sugar-free chewing gums can help new mothers retrieve their normal bowel function following a cesarean section, a new study finds.
Similar to other abdominal surgeries, constipation and bloating due to slowed intestinal function is a regular complaint in women undergoing C-sections. According to the study published in BJOG, chewing gum helps these women recover...
11 tags
To spray DEET or not to spray? →
Sept 2, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—DEET, the most common chemical ingredient in insect repellents, could be harmful to the central nervous system, new research suggests.
A report on the subject issued by researchers in France, in both Montpellier and Angers, was published on Aug. 5.
“We’ve found that DEET is not simply a behaviour-modifying chemical but also inhibits the activity of a key...
23 tags
Melons can fight blood pressure →
Sept 2, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Following a diet rich in potassium-rich fruits and vegetables such as melons, commonly found in summer, can help lower the blood pressure.
Potassium chloride had long been used to lower blood pressure levels. A new study, however, finds any increase in potassium intake can also lead to similar results. According to the study recently conducted at UT Southwestern...
18 tags
High-Carb, High-Fat Diets Better for Cognitive... →
September 1, 2009 (Medscape.com) — Diets high in carbohydrates or fat can lead to significantly better cognitive-performance and inflight-testing scores in pilots than diets high in protein, according to results reported in a poster presentation at the Military Health Research Forum (MHRF) 2009 in Kansas City, Missouri.
In addition, a high-carbohydrate diet helped study pilots sleep better, and a...
17 tags
Blueberry juice displays weight management... →
Sept 2, 2009 (Foodnavigator.com)—Drinking a modified blueberry juice may reduce food intake and body weight, and offer weight management potential, suggest findings from a new study with mice.
Canadian researchers report that mice prone to obesity, insulin resistance, diabetes and hypertension drinking the blueberry juice were protected against the development of glucose intolerance and...
16 tags
Diesel Exhaust Is Linked To Cancer Development Via... →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Scientists have demonstrated that the link between diesel fume exposure and cancer lies in the ability of diesel exhaust to induce the growth of new blood vessels that serve as a food supply for solid tumors.
The researchers found that in both healthy and diseased animals, more new blood vessels sprouted in mice exposed to diesel exhaust than did in mice...
10 tags
Waist-hip Ratio Better Than BMI For Gauging... →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Body mass index (BMI) readings may not be the best gauge of obesity in older adults, according to new research from UCLA endocrinologists and geriatricians. Instead, they say, the ratio of waist size to hip size may be a better indicator when it comes to those over 70.
In a new study published online in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Epidemiology,...
10 tags
New iPhone App 'Outbreaks Near Me' Locates H1N1... →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A new iPhone application, created by researchers at Children’s Hospital Boston in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, enables users to track and report outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as H1N1 (swine flu), on the ground in real time.
The application, “Outbreaks Near Me,” builds upon the mission and proven capability of HealthMap, an...
14 tags
Weight Gain In Adulthood Associated With Prostate... →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Body mass in younger and older adulthood, and weight gain between these periods of life, may influence a man’s risk for prostate cancer. This risk varies among different ethnic populations, according to results of a study in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
“The...
15 tags
People Who Don't Own A Car And Live Near Fast Food... →
Sept 2, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Living without a car in close proximity to fast food restaurants is associated with excess body mass index and weight gain, according to a University of Pittsburgh study available online and published in the September issue of the Journal of Urban Health. Indeed, adults in areas with high fast food concentration who didn’t have a car were as much as 12...
11 tags
Breast Cancer: Risk Increases For Smokers And... →
Sept 1, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A recent study published in the Journal of Cancer Epidemiology has reinforced the correlation between being overweight, smoking and breast cancer. What makes this study unique is how test subjects were not diagnosed for BRCA1 and BRCA2 gene mutations, which predispose women to breast cancer.
Instead, women with such gene mutations were excluded to allow...
9 tags
Tobacco Smoking May Increase Risk for Tuberculosis →
September 1, 2009 (Medscape.com)— Tobacco smoking is associated with a 2-fold increased risk for active tuberculosis, according to the results of a prospective Taiwan cohort study reported in the September 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
“Previous case-control studies and a small number of cohort studies in high-risk populations have found an...
17 tags
Caution on mix of cholesterol-lowering meds →
Sept 1, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Combining a prescription cholesterol-lowering medication with omega-3 supplements may not be the best approach, a new review suggests.
Statins are medications that prevent the liver from producing cholesterol, which can help reduce the risk of heart attacks. Every year, Canadian doctors write more than 12 million prescriptions for statins, making them the...
13 tags
Heart Suffers From Just a Few Whiffs of Smoke →
Sept 1, 2009 (Therapytimes.com)—Just a few whiffs of tobacco smoke or dirty air can have a profound negative impact on your heart’s health.
Study results released today by the American Heart Association suggest that exposure to even a small amount of smoke — whether it’s from your own cigarette or someone else’s — greatly increases your risk of dying from ...
14 tags
How Cigarettes and Smoking Impact Your Pet’s... →
Sept 1, 2009 (Mercola.com)—A growing body of research shows there are no safe levels of exposure to secondhand smoke — for humans or for animals. And one new study shows that nearly 30 percent of pet owners live with at least one smoker — a number far too high given the consequences of exposure to secondhand smoke (“SHS”)
An estimated 50,000 Americans lose their lives...
9 tags
Parents Play Key Role In Whether Teen Tobacco Use... →
Sept 1, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Researchers have found new evidence showing that parents play a key role in whether or not their adolescent children who experiment with tobacco progress to become daily smokers before they graduate from high school.
A study published on-line and in the September issue of journal Pediatrics shows that parents can be a positive or negative influence on their...
11 tags
How Much Omega-3 Fatty Acid Do We Need To Prevent... →
Sept 1, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A team of French scientists have found the dose of DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) that is “just right” for preventing cardiovascular disease in healthy men. In a research report appearing in the September 2009 print issue of The FASEB Journal, the scientists show that a 200 mg dose of DHA per day is enough to affect biochemical markers that...
16 tags
Workplace Bullying Is Associated With Sleep... →
Sept 1, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—A study in the Sept.1 issue of the journal SLEEP shows that current or past exposure to workplace bullying is associated with increased sleep disturbances. Associations also were found between observed bullying and sleep disruption, indicating that bullying has detrimental effects even when it is experienced indirectly.
The study shows a high prevalence of...
12 tags
Daylight-saving Time Leads To Less Sleep, More... →
Sept 1, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Every March, most Americans welcome the switch to daylight saving time because of the longer days, but also dread losing an hour of sleep after they move their clocks forward. Now a new study shows that losing just an hour of sleep could pose some dangerous consequences for those in hazardous work environments.
The findings are reported in the September issue...
16 tags
Antioxidants Not Associated With Increased... →
Sept 1. 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Antioxidant supplements do not appear to be associated with an increased risk of melanoma, according to a new report.
A recent randomized trial of antioxidants for cancer prevention found that daily supplementation with nutritionally appropriate doses of vitamins C and E, beta carotene, selenium and zinc appeared to increase the risk of melanoma in women...
12 tags
Secondhand Smoke Worsens Outcome of Acute Coronary... →
Aug 28, 2009 (Medscape.com)— - Environmental exposure to tobacco smoke - a known risk factor for myocardial infarction and other acute coronary syndromes (ACS) - can also worsen prognosis after ACS, according to a new study.
“These findings suggest that, by reducing exposure to secondhand smoke, smoke-free legislation may not only reduce the incidence of cardiovascular events, but may...
11 tags
Surprising Rate Of Recurring Heart Attacks,... →
Aug 31, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Despite many medicines and other treatments for patients with vascular disease, a large international study shows these patients have a surprisingly high rate of recurring events such as strokes, heart attacks and hospitalizations as well as mortality.
Also unexpected: patients in North America (including the U.S.) experienced an above-average rate of these...
10 tags
Wild lupins’ protein could rival soy, say Spanish... →
Aug 31, 2009 (Foodnavigator.com)—Wild varieties of lupin seeds could be tapped for their high quality protein content, report researchers in Spain, and could reduce the need to import soybean to Europe from places such as the US, Brazil and China.
Lupin, or lupinus, is an ancient legume cultivated in the Mediterranean and the South American Andes. Amongst the major cultivated species are...
15 tags
Exercise beats angioplasty: heart experts →
Aug 31, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Working up a sweat may be even better than angioplasty for some heart patients, experts say.
Studies have shown heart patients benefit from exercise, and some have shown it works better than surgical procedures. At a meeting of the European Society of Cardiology in Barcelona on Sunday, several experts said doctors should focus more on persuading their patients to...
13 tags
Home birth with midwife safe as hospital →
Aug 31, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Giving birth at home with a registered midwife can be as safe as a hospital birth for the infant and the mom, according to a Canadian study released Monday.
Midwives provide round-the-clock care for women during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum in hospitals, birthing centres and at the homes of women.
The rate of deaths was about two per 1,000 for planned home...
10 tags
Whey Protein Improves Heart Health →
Aug 31, 2009 (Mercola.com)—A whey-protein-rich ingredient may improve blood vessel function in healthy individuals, reports a new randomized, double-blind study.
Two weeks of supplementation resulted in a 1.5 percent improvement in blood flow. According to the researchers, the whey protein-derived ingredient may work via an angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity.
ACE...
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Natural Therapies: Simple Solutions for Complex... →
Aug 31, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— One question I’m routinely asked is “If you had to recommend just one supplement for __________ (fill in the blank), what would it be?” I could easily spout off a laundry list of safe, natural therapies for virtually all common health concerns. Narrowing it down to only one therapy per condition is much more of a challenge, but based on...
August 2009
193 posts
13 tags
Larger waists increase asthma risk →
Aug 30, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Apple-shaped women with large waists are reported to be at an increased risk of developing asthma, even if their body weight is normal.
While being overweight is a well-known risk factor for asthma, a new study links bigger waist size (abdominal obesity) with the severity of the respiratory condition. According to the study published in Thorax, women with a waist...
8 tags
Aged skin found more prone to cancer →
Aug 30, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Deficiencies in mobilizing the cells responsible for defending the body contribute to the higher vulnerability of seniors to skin cancer and infection.
Previous studies had reported that defects in a type of immune cell known as T cells account for the reduced immunity and subsequently a higher risk of skin cancer in older individuals. A new study, however, finds...
8 tags
Tamoxifen ups second breast cancer risk →
Aug 30, 2009 (Presstv.com)—While tamoxifen has long been prescribed to treat breast cancer, a new study links the drug to the development of a second tumor in consumers.
Despite the development of many newer drugs, tamoxifen — which prevents tumors from being fuelled by the sex hormone estrogen — has still remained the gold standard in treating hormone sensitive tumors. ...
15 tags
Obesity Is A Poor Gauge For Detecting High... →
Aug 29, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—With the epidemic of childhood obesity in the United States, there is concern that overweight and obese children need to be screened for chronic medical conditions, including high cholesterol levels.
However, body fat is not an effective indicator of high cholesterol in children, according to new University of Michigan research.
Those are the findings of a...
12 tags
Study Shines Light On Night-time Alertness →
Aug 29, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—The circadian system is not the only pathway involved in determining alertness at night. Research described in the open access journal BMC Neuroscience showed that red light, which does not stimulate the circadian system, is just as effective at increasing night-time alertness as blue light, which does.
Mariana Figueiro worked with a team of researchers from...
12 tags
Snooze longer, you may live longer →
Brunch at 10? Make it 11. As if not having circles under your eyes weren’t a compelling enough reason to get enough sleep, here’s another: You’ll be less likely to age from diabetes, the makes-you-sick-and-tired disease that affects more than 2 million Canadians.
When researchers let people sleep just 5 1/2 hours a night for two weeks, they saw that the sleep-deprived folks had...
11 tags
Strong Thighs May Mean Less Knee Pain for Women →
Aug 28, 2009 (Therapytimes.com)—Stronger thigh muscles can help protect women, but not men, from the pain of arthritic knees, a new study finds.
The knee is the most common joint affected by osteoarthritis or degenerative joint disease, a major cause of disability in the United States, researchers say. In the United States, nearly 27 million adults suffer from osteoarthritis, and 16% of...
11 tags
Soluble fibre best for irritable bowels →
Aug 28, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Soluble fibre is the best line of defence in alleviating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, Dutch researchers say.
30 tags
Defend Against Disease with Broccoli Juice →
Aug 28, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— Broccoli is a member of the cauliflower family or a Brassica. It is a diverse super food that is delicious when steamed or can be finely chopped and sprinkled on food for added nutrition. Juicing is a great way to get the most out of this amazing food. By drinking broccoli juice daily, we can prevent disease and transform our health.
Broccoli juice offers a...
17 tags
Consumers Duped by Trans Fat Labeling →
Aug 28, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— FDA food labeling rules make it possible for consumers to exceed their maximum recommended daily intake of trans fats even if they eat only foods labeled “zero trans fats” per serving.
Trans fats, also known as hydrogenated oils, are synthetically produced by adding hydrogen atoms to unsaturated vegetable oils. Unlike natural unsaturated or...
13 tags
Depression And Anxiety Affect Up To 15 Percent Of... →
Aug 28, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Almost 15 percent of preschoolers have atypically high levels of depression and anxiety, according to a new study published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. The five-year investigation also found that children with atypically high depression and anxiety levels are more likely to have mothers with a history of depression.
The study was...
25 tags
7% of 5th graders unhappy with body size: study →
Aug 27, 2009 (Cbc.ca)—Canadian children as young as 10 years old may benefit from programs to improve satisfaction with body shape, say researchers who studied the relationship between body size and happiness.
The study of 4,254 Nova Scotia fifth graders suggests girls were happiest when thinnest while boys were unhappy when they were too skinny or too fat.
“With the substantial...
13 tags
Toxins in Fish Linked to Diabetes →
Aug 27, 2009 (Mercola.com)—A new study of Great Lakes boat captains over 15 years found a correlation between the chemical DDE and diabetes. Those who ate more fish had more DDE in their blood, and were more likely to develop diabetes.
DDE is produced in the bodies of small bottom-feeding fish from ingesting the prevalent pesticide DDT. The chemical transfers to bigger fish when they eat...
13 tags
Some Foods Can Ease Arthritis Pain →
Aug 27, 2009 (Mercola.com)—Patients with arthritis are often encouraged to use diet to manage their condition. In one of the largest analyses of diet and various types of arthritis, researchers looked at data on more than 800 patients from 15 studies. They examined several diets popular among arthritis patients and found that the one that had the greatest effect was a Mediterranean-style. In...
10 tags
Wheat Consumption May Contribute to Diabetes →
Aug 26, 2009 (Therapytimes.com)—An abnormal immune response to wheat proteins may contribute to type 1 diabetes, Canadian researchers say.
Their study of 42 people with type 1 diabetes found that nearly half had immune system T-cells that overreacted to wheat. The researchers also identified genes associated with this abnormal immune response.
“The immune system has to find the...
19 tags
AHA limits sugar intake to protect heart →
Aug 27, 2009 (Presstv.com)—While Americans eat more than 22 teaspoons of sugar per day, the American Heart Association urges individuals to limit their sugar intake in order to remain healthy.
“For the first time we’ve created specific recommendations about the amount of sugars that can be consumed in a heart-healthy diet,” said Rachel Johnson lead author of a report...
21 tags
Hormone therapy fatal in prostate cancer sufferers →
Aug 27, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Hormone-based medications commonly used to treat aggressive prostate cancer may be hazardous for certain men suffering from heart problems.
Previous studies had reported that drugs which block tumor-fueling surges of testosterone can effectively treat aggressive forms of prostate cancer. A new study, however, finds radiation therapy added with these drugs...
14 tags
Study reveals shocking effects of obesity on brain →
Aug 27, 2009 (Presstv.com)—Compared to their normal-weight peers, obese individuals have smaller and older brains, indicative of destructive processes that can lead to dementia.
Previous studies had reported obesity to be associated with various health problems including an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and certain cancers. According to a study published in...
15 tags
Swimming Aids Asthma Symptoms In Children, Study... →
Aug 27, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—Research has shown that swimming aids asthma symptoms in children. The activity has been proven to be an effective non-pharmacological intervention for children and adolescents, according to a study in Respirology, published by Wiley-Blackwell.
Researchers divided children between the ages of seven to twelve into two groups. One group underwent a six-week...
13 tags
Fruit Is Even Better For You Than Previously... →
Aug 27, 2009 (Sciencedaily.com)—An international team of scientists has found that the polyphenol content of fruits has been underestimated.
Polyphenol content in fruits usually refers to extractable polyphenols, but a Spanish scientist working at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich analysed apple, peach and nectarine. She found that nonextractable polyphenol content is up to five...
15 tags
Antidepressant Commonly Prescribed for Autism... →
Aug 26, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— The antidepressant Celexa, commonly prescribed to alleviate some symptoms of autism in children, has no medical benefit in such patients, while exposing them to a significant risk of side effects.
Researchers treated 149 autistic children between the ages of five and 17 with either Celexa (generic name citalopram) or a placebo for 12 weeks. While one third of...
22 tags
Reverse Halitosis: Natural Remedies for Bad Breath →
Aug 26, 2009 (NaturalNews.com)— Everyone at some point in their lives has suffered from a horrendous case of morning breath - the type that makes your partner’s eyes water or that the kids cower away from. For most of us the cure is simple, a quick brush followed by a gargle of mouth wash and you are set for the day. But for some this simply isn`t enough and the problem of halitosis or...
12 tags
Baking Soda Found To Help People with Chronic... →
Aug 26, 2009(NaturalNews.com)— Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious condition marked by the permanent loss of kidney function. When the kidneys are damaged, the organs can’t remove wastes and extra water from the blood as well as they should and the result can be a host of serious and even deadly health consequences. But now researchers in the United Kingdom have made a...