Current Health News
Even Pigs Can't Survive on GM Corn
Pig farmers are having major breeding problems from feeding their animals genetically-engineered corn. Despite 30 years of experience farming in Shelby County, Iowa, Jerry Rosman couldn't figure out why the birthrates of piglets fell 80 percent. He tested for diseases and made sure artificial insemination was working right, but he couldn't find the cause.
What Makes GM Crops Dangerous?
The United Nations World Food Summit met recently to decide whether genetically-modified crops will save poor countries from famine or will contaminate normal crops, presenting a danger to food supplies around the world.
GM Fish Could Wipe Out Species
Researchers have discovered that genetically tinkering with fish can cause the opposite effect of evolution the survival of the least fit and the eventual extinction of a species. It would take just one genetically-modified fish to wipe out local populations of that species if it escaped into the wild.
An Apple a Day Keeps Asthma Away
People who eat more apples are less likely to develop asthma than are those who eat few, according to new research published in the
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care
Medicine . . .
A Standardized Extract of Ginger May Reduce Knee Pain in Elderly
Daily use of a highly concentrated extract of ginger by elderly people may reduce the pain associated with osteoarthritis of the knee, according to a new report in
Arthritis and
Rheumatism . . .
In-office Screening for Osteoporosis Has Potential to Save Lives
Simple, inexpensive screening tests are able to determine whether women are at increased risk of breaking bones due to osteoporosis, according to a study published this month in the
Journal
of the American Medical Association . . .
Oats Lower Cholesterol in Postmenopausal Women
Adding oats to a cholesterol-lowering diet improves the effects of that diet in postmenopausal
women with elevated cholesterol levels, according to a study recently published in the
Journal of the American Dietetic Association . . .
Clinical Recommendations on Use of Supplements by Healthy Individuals
The increasing popularity and use of nutritional supplements has put a greater demand on conventional physicians to provide insight into their appropriate use . . .
Does Selenium Ward off Prostate Cancer?
Men with a high intake of the mineral selenium have a reduced risk of developing prostate cancer, according to a study published in the December issue of the
Journal of Urology . . .
Melatonin May Play a Role in the Winter Blues
The mood-altering effects of seasonal affective disorder (SAD) may be due in part to prolonged secretion of melatonin in the brain during the winter, according to a new report in the
Archives
of General Psychiatry . . .
High-Selenium Broccoli May Prevent Cancer
New evidence in the
Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry indicates that consuming broccoli specially grown to contain large amounts of selenium may prevent the development of breast
and colon cancer. . . .
Beans, Beans, Good for Your Heart
Eating more legumes, such as beans and peas, reduces the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) . . .
B Vitamins Improve Angioplasty Outcome
A simple, inexpensive B-vitamin supplement improves the results of a common procedure performed in heart patients known as angioplasty . . .
Use It or Lose It: Elderly Persons with Knee Pain Maintain Independence with Regular Exercise
As people age, the wear and tear on the knee joints can limit one’s capacity to perform daily activities such as bathing, dressing, and moving from a seated to a standing position without
help. However, it appears that regular exercise may allow senior citizens suffering from osteoarthritis of the knee greater independence and a higher quality of life . . .
Extra Potassium for Better Health
Increasing potassium intake may lead to a wide range of health benefits . . .
Debate Over Folic Acid Fortification Moves to England
It is widely accepted among scientists and doctors that a common and devastating group of birth defects known as neural tube defects (NTDs) could be largely prevented if pregnant women
consumed adequate amounts of folic acid during the very early stages of
pregnancy . . .
Potential Good News for Chocolate Lovers
Eating chocolate or cocoa (from which chocolate is derived) causes certain changes in the blood that might reduce one's risk of developing heart disease . . .
Nutrients Reduce Risk of Some Cancers
some encouraging new research published in
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers
and Prevention,
1 has shown that eating a diet high in certain nutrients may reduce the risk of developing stomach and esophageal cancer. . . .
No Need to Stress Out Over Stress
While stress is known to weaken the immune system under some circumstances, certain types of stress might actually make the immune system stronger . . .
Red Clover Extract Relieves Premenstrual Breast Pain
An isoflavone supplement extracted from red clover
(Trifolium pratense) relieved premenstrual breast pain (cyclic mastalgia) in a small, double-blind trial . . .
Integrative Approach May Reduce Symptoms of Endometriosis
Endometriosis is a progressive and chronic disease of the female reproductive tissues that affects as many as 10% of all women in the United States and is the third leading cause of gynecologic hospitalization . . .
Giving Vitamin D to Infants May Protect Against Diabetes
While the cause of type I diabetes (insulin-dependent diabetes) remains unknown, a new study indicates that this condition may be prevented by giving infants supplemental
vitamin D . . .
Coping with the Psychological Consequences of Terror
Last month’s terrorist attacks on New York’s World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and American commercial aircraft have left a vast wake of destruction and death. Those who survive must contend with a flood of psychological consequences . . .
Calcium Supplements for Bone Strength: Does It Matter How and When You Take Them?
Calcium supplements are commonly used to promote bone strength, and are one of the most widely recommended nonprescription therapies for the prevention of osteoporosis . . .
Nutritional Supplement Improves Outcome of Heart Surgery
Taking a nutritional supplement for five days prior to open-heart surgery can improve the outcome of surgery, according to a report published recently in the British
journal
Lancet . . .
Controversial Study Finds Gingko Biloba May Contain Toxin
The most popular herbal supplement in America and Germany,
Ginkgo biloba, is the source of controversy due to a new study published in the September issue of
Chemical Research in Toxicology . . .
Iron Supplements Alleviate Side Effect of Blood Pressure Drug Therapy
Supplementing with iron has been found to relieve the dry cough caused by some widely used blood pressure-lowering drugs . . .
Avoiding Coffee Can Lower Risk of Heart Disease
According to a recent study in the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, eliminating coffee from your diet may be a key factor in reducing your risk for heart
disease . . .
Heart Health for Any Budget
Adding folic acid and vitamin B12 to your supplement regimen may be a cost-effective way to reduce blood levels of homocysteine . . .
Use of Complementary and Alternative Treatments Is on the Rise.
Use of complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies has steadily increased over the last 50 years . . .
Estrogen-Replacement Therapy Does Not Protect the Heart
For many years, the conventional wisdom among doctors has been that estrogen-replacement therapy (ERT) is good for the heart. In fact, the purported protective effect against cardiovascular disease has been one of the main reasons that ERT is so widely recommended for postmenopausal women. However, according to a new report from an American Heart Association (AHA) advisory panel, ERT may not have a positive effect on the heart after all, and may even be harmful in some instances. . . .
Newer Anti-inflammatory Drugs (COX-2 Inhibitors) May Increase Heart Disease Risk
Individuals who are taking one of the newer anti-inflammatory drugs (known as selective COX-2 inhibitors) for arthritis or musculoskeletal pain may be increasing their risk of experiencing a heart attack or related cardiovascular problems . . .
Do Antioxidants Reduce the Effectiveness of
Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs?
Antioxidants may blunt the effectiveness of a cholesterol-lowering drug regimen . . .
Eating Right Protects Women’s Hearts
Women who eat healthy diets have a significantly reduced risk of suffering a heart attack, according to a study published recently in the
Archives of Internal Medicine . . .
New Study Points to Higher Vitamin C Requirement for Young Women
The Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) of vitamin C for healthy young women, currently set at 75 mg per day, should be increased to 90 mg per day . . .
Soy-based Formulas Called Safe for Infants
Consumption of soy-based formula during infancy does not adversely affect overall health or reproductive function in early adulthood . . .
Organic Foods... are they worth it?
Researchers at Rutgers University, intrigued by the claim that organic foods are “better,” decided to shop around for some answers . . .
The Classroom as Petrie Dish
It almost sounds like an evil experiment: take 20 to 30 children, lock them up together in a poorly ventalated room for about six hours a day and see what kinds of viruses and sickness they pass between themselves and their families . . .
The Everything Supplement!
This amazing new supplement may have the power to revolutionize better health . . .
Cholesterol Killer
A new product claims a reduction of 24% in Cholesterol Levels with continued use . . .
Arthritis Relief
In the U.S. alone forty million people suffer from osteoarthritis and three million suffer from rheumatoid arthritis. . . .
Diet and Lifestyle Changes Reduce Heart-Disease Risk in Women
Recommendations made by doctors to their female patients regarding diet and exercise have been shown to be effective in reducing heart-disease risk in a number of clinical trials . . .
Have a Cup of Tea: The Newest Prescription for
Cardiovascular Disease
Drinking tea improves the functioning of arteries in patients suffering from atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) . . .
Good News for Bad Backs: When Back Ache Hits, Turn to These Proven Healers
If you have experienced low back pain (LBP) then you are among the 80% of American adults who suffer from this condition sometime during their life. . . .
An Epidemic of Vitamin D Deficiency?
The prevalence of vitamin D deficiency in healthy postmenopausal women is extremely high, according to a study published last month in the
Journal of Bone and Mineral Research . . .
Tea Compound Associated with Decreased Heart Disease Risk
Men who ranked in the highest one-third with respect to intake of catechins
(compounds most prevalent in tea, chocolate, and apples) had a 50% reduction in
incidence of fatal heart attacks . . .
Vitamin B12 May Prevent Important Antibiotic Side Effect
A form of vitamin B12 known as methylcobalamin may be capable of preventing one of the serious side effects of a commonly used group of antibiotics . . .
Vitamin D Deficiency Is Associated with Osteoporosis in the Elderly
Stroke patients with low blood levels of vitamin D are far more likely to have hip fractures than those patients with normal levels of the vitamin . . .
Does Dietary Potassium Prevent Stroke?
People eating a diet low in potassium are more likely than the general population to suffer a stroke . . .
Work Out for the Mind as Well as the Body
Elderly women who engage in moderate amounts of physical exercise have a reduced risk of experiencing a decline in mental function . . .
Testosterone Improves Memory in Older Men
Six weeks of weekly intramuscular injections of testosterone led to improvements in some measures of mental function in men over age 50 . . .
Separating Fact from Hype: More Findings Regarding Creatine
Two studies from July’s issue of
Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise have examined the evidence behind creatine, a nutritional supplement commonly used by athletes as a performance-enhancing agent. . . .
Are Pacifiers Harmful?
Use of pacifiers does not appear to lead to early weaning of infants . . .
The Weight is Over: New Study Highlights the Importance of Better Doctor-Patient Communication
People who are even slightly overweight have an increased risk of diabetes, gallstones, hypertension, high cholesterol, colon cancer, heart disease, and stroke . . .
FDA Issues Warning Regarding Comfrey Herbal Products
Herbal products containing comfrey pose a health risk to consumers due to the presence of toxic substances that may damage the liver, according to an advisory letter the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) . . .
Prevention for Heart Disease Survivors: Are Physicians Doing Enough?
Efforts to address heart disease risk factors in survivors of heart attacks or strokes are inadequate . . .
Herbs and Surgery Don't Mix: New Study Highlights the Importance of Better Doctor-Patient Communication
Doctors should obtain detailed information about their patients’ use of herbal medicines well in advance of surgery . . .
Cranberry Juice Prevents Urinary Tract Infections
Regular consumption of cranberry juice appears to be an effective tool to prevent the recurrence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in women . . .
Breast Self-Exam Not For Every Woman?
Breast self-examination to detect possible breast cancer may do more harm than good for many women . . .
Going Nuts Over High Cholesterol
Adding walnuts to the diet can help normalize cholesterol without promoting weight gain . . .
Less TV and More Exercise Decrease Risk of Diabetes
Decreasing sedentary time watching television and exercising regularly may decrease the risk of developing adult-onset (known as type 2) diabetes . . .
Young men with high blood pressure at greater risk of death
Young adult men with above-normal blood pressure are at greater risk of dying from future cardiovascular disease than those with normal blood pressure . . .
Does Fiber Prevent Colon Cancer?
Just when researchers were beginning
to give up on fiber for the primary prevention of colon cancer, the largest
study ever conducted on diet and cancer has once again turned the tables in the
ongoing debate, giving fiber renewed clout as a cancer fighter . . .
