And Now Pistachios? Take Action to Urge Your Representative in Congress to Improve the Safety of Our Food Supply

March 30, 2009

b>/b>br/>Urge Your Representative in Congress to Cosponsor The Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009. Go to http://www.cspinet.org/takeaction/index.html to take action!

Filed under: News | Comments Off

Consumers Warned of Web-Based Açai Scams

March 22, 2009

b>Companies Use Fake Blogs, Fake Endorsements, Fishy Science, and Hard-to-Cancel Credit Card Transactions to Bilk Consumers/b>br/>WASHINGTON—The Center for Science in the Public Interest is warning consumers not to enroll online in supposedly free trials of diet products made with the trendy Brazilian berry açai (pronounced a-sigh-EE). Theres no evidence whatsoever to suggest that açai pills will help shed pounds, flatten tummies, cleanse colons, enhance sexual desire, or perform any of the other commonly advertised functions. And thousands of consumers have had trouble stopping recurrent charges on their credit cards when they cancel their free trials.

Filed under: News | Comments Off

High Powered Health Tips for Spring!

March 22, 2009

Da Zhuang or Great Vigor, is the I Ching hexagram associated with Spring. It calls to mind the increase of warmth and light in the world after the winter. It reminds us that persistence and purity of intent help us to overcome adversity.

The months of Spring correspond to the Wood phase and the Liver and Gall Bladder organs in the Asian Medicine system of correspondences. Spring is the period of new beginnings and upward movement.

Eat liver friendly foods like dandelion, red beets, parsnips, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, and mustard greens. Meditate. Stretch, practice yoga, qigong, or tai chi.

relax – rejuvenate – refresh

Read the complete newsletter at http://melchiorre.com/eNews/

Filed under: BODY, MIND, SPIRIT | Comments (0)

‘Minor’ head injuries can turn serious rapidly, experts say

March 19, 2009

A blow to the head that at first seems minor and does not result in immediate pain or other symptoms can in fact turn out to be a life-threatening brain injury, experts tell CNN.

It’s very common for someone who’s had a fall or been in a car accident to appear perfectly lucid just after the impact but then to suddenly, rapidly deteriorate, Dr. Carmelo Graffagnino, director of Duke University Medical Center’s Neurosciences Critical Care Unit, told CNN.

Actress Natasha Richardson was talking and joking after she fell Monday during a beginner ski lesson, according to officials at the Canadian resort where she was staying. But soon after she returned to her room she complained of head pain and was taken to a nearby hospital, then to a larger medical center in Montreal. She was flown by private jet Tuesday to a New York hospital. She died Wednesday, according to a family statement.

"A patient can appear so deceivingly normal at first," said Graffagnino, director of Duke University Medical Center’s Neurosciences Critical Care Unit. "But they actually have a brain bleed and as the pressure builds up, they’ll experience classic symptoms of a traumatic brain injury."

Read the complete article by Danielle Dellorto, CNN Medical Producer…

• People with head injuries can seem perfectly lucid
• Blood can leak into brain over minutes or hours, causing swelling, pressure
• Important to watch for signs of brain injury: Nausea, severe headache, glassy eyes

Keywords: brain injury, axonal injury, dura mater, fracture, skull, craniotomy, nausea, severe headache, glossy eyes, sudden sleepiness, neuro-ICU, CT Scan, hemorrhage, blood thinner

Filed under: MIND | Comments (0)

Teen Returns From China With Ability To See

March 11, 2009

A teenager from Wellington knows firsthand what stem cells can do.

Macie Morse was born with optic nerve hypoplasia, meaning her optic nerve didn’t develop all the way. The only way to repair it was to grow more of the nerve using umbilical cord stem cells.

She and her mother traveled all the way to China for an experimental treatment, CBS station KCNC-TV reports.

For six weeks, Morse received injections of cord stem cells and acupuncture to stimulate the cells. Gradually, they took hold and began growing the optic nerve Morse was missing.

Read the complete article from CBS …

Keywords: stem cell, acupuncture

Filed under: BODY | Comments (0)

Congress to Tackle Junk Food in Schools

March 5, 2009

b>Legislators, Health Groups Aim to Update Carter-Era Nutrition Standards/b>br/>WASHINGTON—Buoyed by a President and Secretary of Agriculture who have voiced their support for healthier school foods, health groups say this is the year Congress should take action. Today, Representative Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) is introducing a bill that would get junk foods out of schools once and for all. The bill is likely to be addressed when Congress reauthorizes the Child Nutrition Act, which expires this year.

Filed under: News | Comments Off

Maryland Bills Would Require Nutrition Info on Chain Restaurant Menus and Phasing Out Artificial Trans Fat

March 3, 2009

b>/b>br/>ANNAPOLIS—Two pieces of legislation introduced in the Maryland General Assembly would make it much easier for the states restaurant patrons to manage their weight and avoid heart disease. The first, sponsored by Senator David Harrington (D-47) and Delegate Doyle Niemann (D-47) would require calorie counts on fast-food chains menu boards, and expanded nutrition information on chain restaurants printed menus. The second, introduced by Delegate James Hubbard (D-23A), would require all restaurants to phase out their use of partially hydrogenated oil—the source of artery-clogging artificial trans fat.

Filed under: News | Comments Off

FDA Cant Protect Americans from Dangerous Dietary Supplements, GAO Says

March 2, 2009

b>Beleaguered Agency Doesnt Know Who, or What, Its Regulating/b>br/>WASHINGTON—Add dietary supplements to the growing list of products the beleaguered Food and Drug Administration is failing to regulate.
Today, the Government Accountability Office will report to Congress that the FDA does not have even the most basic information to protect the public from hazardous supplements. It doesnt have an accurate inventory of the supplement ingredients on store shelves. It doesnt have a firm handle on the number and nature of serious adverse reactions to dietary supplements. In fact, the GAO found, the agency doesnt even have a list of the names and locations of herbal supplement manufacturers. And several substances banned overseas are readily available on the Internet and in retail stores all over the U.S. even though they are variously linked to kidney damage, liver damage, seizures, and death.

Filed under: News | Comments Off