WHO panel warns that cell phone use may cause cancer

(NaturalNews) Scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), a group affiliated with the World Health Organization (WHO), say that mobile phones are a “possible” carcinogen that may be a cause of cancer. The findings, which support previous research on the subject, add to the growing body of evidence which suggests that the electromagnetic radiation emitted from mobile phones causes serious health problems. “A positive association has been observed between exposure to the agent and cancer for which a causal interpretation is considered … to be credible,” states the IARC. However, in the same train of thought, the agency claims that evidence is “limited” to suggest that mobile phone usage is linked to glioma or acoustic neuroma, two types of brain cancer. In 2009, IARC published a study in the Journal of Clinical Oncology that linked mobile phone usage to an 18 percent increase in brain tumor risk. And because it was observed that such tumors tended to form on the sides of brains where mobile phones were primarily used, the connection between the two is even more striking (http://www.naturalnews.com/027448_cell_phone_brain_health.html). Another report issued in 2010 by the International Electromagnetic Field Cooperative (IEFC) also found a link between mobile phone usage and increased rates of brain tumors. Included in this report is a Swedish study that found a 420 percent increase in brain cancer rates among children who began using mobile and cordless phones as teenagers, as opposed to those that did not (http://www.naturalnews.com/028078_cell_phones_brain_cancer.html). With all of this research now available and the latest announcement from IARC, one would think more people would be concerned about the risks involved with the excessive use of mobile phones and looking for less-risky alternatives or using hands-free devices at the very least. But because the period between when a cancer patient is exposed to this radiation and when he or she develops tumors typically spans several decades, some experts claim that the link between the two is inconclusive and are content to tell the public there is really little to worry about. Sources for this story include: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110531/ap_on_he_me/eu_med_cellphones_and_cancer

Many doctors still in bed with Big Pharma

(NaturalNews) The cozy relationship between doctors and drug companies has received a lot of attention recently as numerous reports have exposed widespread corruption between the two groups. But a new study has found that, despite making promises to clean up their act, many doctors continue to accept gifts and cash from Big Pharma. Back in 2009, a study out of Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital found that 84 percent of doctors have ties to drug companies, a ten percent drop from five years earlier. But roughly two thirds of doctors still accept drug samples, while 70 percent accept food and beverage incentives from drug companies. And fourteen percent continue to accept cash payments for services. In October, ProPublica, Consumer Reports , and National Public Radio (NPR), released a report about the $7 billion spent by drug companies over the last three years to settle cases involving such unethical payouts. Even so, Big Pharma continues to spend millions on doctors to influence their prescribing practices (http://www.naturalnews.com/030111_drug_companies_illegal.html). While the practice has tapered off some, many say the rate of decrease is not enough. Drug companies are still wining and dining doctors, influencing the way they perceive and prescribe drugs. And many doctors accept gifts and cash without disclosing it publicly anyway, which means that many more doctors could be on Big Pharma’s payroll than current studies indicate. Doctors who continue to accept drug company gifts have come out in defense of themselves, claiming that the gifts do not influence their drug prescribing decisions. But not everyone is convinced. “Cultures to the beginning of time have figured that gifts engender a positive response toward the giver,” explained Eric Campbell from Massachusetts General Hospital, author of the study, to Reuters. “What’s hysterical is the fact that physicians deny that these happen. It’s absolutely ludicrous to think that drug companies would spend all their time and money giving away this stuff if it didn’t work.” Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6A82AL20101109

American Dietetic Association is a nutritional disgrace

(NaturalNews) The Alliance for Natural Health (ANH) has challenged a decision to recognize the American Dietetic Association (ADA) as Michigan’s only certifying agency for dietitians or nutritionists. “In order to adequately protect the profession of nutritional therapy, certifying organizations that specialize in nutrition (and not simply dietetics) must be recognized,” the ANH writes in a press release. The Michigan Board of Dietetic and Nutrition recently voted to accept the Commission on Dietetic Registration, the ADA’s credentialing arm, as the only certifying agency in the state. The ANH has requested that the board revisit this decision and accept certification from other agencies such as the Certification Board for Nutrition Specialists (CBNS) or the American Clinical Board of Nutrition. According to the ANH press release, dietitians and nutritionists are trained in different fields and specialties, with different underlying philosophies. Whereas nutritionists are trained to understand the impact of diet on different bodily systems and to use an integrative approach to prevent and treat disease, the ANH says, dietitians are trained in food service management for institutional settings. “Hospital food by law is controlled by dieticians, and almost everyone recognizes that the poor food in hospitals is a medical disgrace,” the ANH writes. In addition, the ANH notes, the ADA’s credentialing standards are significantly laxer than those of many other agencies. For example, the CBNS requires 100 more hours of supervised experience than the ADA, in addition to an advanced nutrition degree an a certifying exam. “Michigan may not even realize that it is also barring the best-educated, most highly qualified professionals from providing nutritional therapy to Michigan residents,” the ANH writes. The ANH acknowledges that there is overlap between the two professions and that some dietitians can provide individualized counseling as well. “There are many different dietary and nutritional therapies to choose from, which is why freedom of consumer choice is absolutely essential in this field,” it writes. Sources for this story include: http://www.anh-usa.org/playing-monopoly-with-our-health.

Study links vitamin D deficiency to breast cancer

(NaturalNews) Researchers from the University of South Carolina (USC) recently conducted a study that found a clear connection between low vitamin D levels and some of the worst and most aggressive forms of breast cancer. Particularly in women with darker skin, those deficient in vitamin D were found to be eight times more susceptible to malignant breast cancer than are women with higher levels. For the study, Susan Steck, Ph.D., M.P.H., and her colleagues from USC evaluated 107 women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer within the previous five years. Forty-seven of the women were Caucasian while the other 60 were African-American. All women provided blood samples to researchers who tested their levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25-OH-D). They found that women with triple-negative breast cancer — meaning the tumors contain no estrogen, progesterone, or HER2 receptors — had the lowest blood serum levels of vitamin D. Triple-negative breast cancer is now widely recognized as one of the worst and most aggressive breast cancers, since it spreads easily and quickly. Additionally, roughly 60 percent of the African-American women that participated in the study were vitamin D deficient, in contrast to roughly 15 percent of Caucasian women. Darker skin is not as receptive to the sun’s ultraviolet rays — the rays that produce vitamin D in the skin — which is why researchers believe there is a large disparity between the two groups. “We know that darker skin pigmentation acts somewhat as a block to producing vitamin D when exposed to sunlight, which is the primary source of vitamin D in most people,” Steck is quoted as saying to MedPage Today . “We think it may be important to [sic] for doctors to monitor the vitamin D blood levels of their patients, especially among African-American patients.” When sunlight exposure is not enough, supplementing with vitamin D3 is the next best option. Some doctors recommend taking upwards of 10,000 international units (IU) or more per day of vitamin D as part of a healthy lifestyle. Sources for this story include: http://www.turnto23.com/moveit/25245791/detail.html http://www.medpagetoday.com/HematologyOncology/BreastCancer/22543

Expectant mothers who take probiotics have healthier babies

(NaturalNews) Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) recently conducted a study on the effects of probiotic supplementation during pregnancy. The team found that mothers who drank probiotic-supplemented milk during their pregnancies cut their children’s risk of developing eczema by 40 percent. The study is part of a larger Norwegian research project being conducted by the university called “Prevention of Allergy Among Children in Trondheim”, or PACT. In this particular study, women were given either milk with probiotics or milk with a placebo, beginning at week 36 of their pregnancies. Neither group knew which formula they were drinking. Researchers evaluated the women and their children from pregnancy until the children were two years old before presenting their findings. “The taste of both products was similar, and the milk was delivered in unmarked milk cartons. This means that neither the participants in the study or the researchers knew who had received probiotic milk or placebo milk,” explained Torbjorn Oien, one of the study researchers. “We can therefore say with great certainty that it was the probiotic bacteria alone that caused the difference in the incidence of eczema between the two groups.” Probiotics have been studied quite heavily in recent years, and science continues to discover the many health-promoting benefits of this beneficial bacteria. “Probiotic bacteria favorably alter the intestinal microflora balance, inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria (like Candida albicans, or “yeast”), promote good digestion, boost immune function, and increase resistance to infection. Probiotics also contain enzymes that help break down and digest dairy products like lactose in milk,” explains Jonny Bowden, Ph.D., C.N.S., in his book The Most Effective Natural Cures on Earth: The Surprising, Unbiased Truth about What Treatments Work and Why . The Norwegian study is the first to identify a definitive link between probiotics and eczema prevention, particularly as the effects are passed down from mother to child. The team plans to conduct a follow-up study to evaluate the preventative effect of probiotics on allergies like asthma as well. Sources for this story include: http://www.ntnu.edu/probiotic-use-in-pregnancy http://www.naturalpedia.com/probiotic.html

HIV drug causes liver damage, admits FDA

(NaturalNews) The HIV drug Videx (sold generically as didanosine) may cause fatal liver problems, the FDA has warned. Since the drug’s initial approval, the agency has received 42 adverse event reports linking Videx and its delayed release version Videx EC to a rare liver disorder known as non-cirrotic portal hypertension. In four of these cases, patients died from liver failure or severe bleeding. Only three patients were able to fully recover from the condition, and all of those needed a liver transplant. Patients had been undergoing treatment with the drug for anywhere from months to years. Although it has not yet been proven that the drugs caused the liver disorder, the FDA noted that there is definitely an association between the two. In non-cirrotic portal hypertension, blood flow through a major vein in the liver becomes constricted, causing blood to back up into the esophagus. Veins in the throat can become so enlarged that they rupture, leading to serious and potentially fatal bleeding. Although the FDA stated that the benefits for HIV patients still outweigh the risks, it warned that Videx patients should be closely monitored for any signs of portal hypertension. Furthermore, it noted that “the decision to use this drug … must be made on an individual basis between the treating physician and the patient.” Videx was first approved in 1991, and the delayed release version was approved in 2000. The drug is a type of antiretroviral drug known as a nucleoside analogue, and slows the proliferation of HIV to prolong the onset of AIDS and extend the life of patients. It has previously been linked to other forms of liver damage, especially in combination with other antiretroviral drugs including hydroxyurea and ribavirin. According to a spokesperson for manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squib, worldwide sales of the drug amounted to $71 million in 2009. Sources for this story include: www.aboutlawsuits.com/hiv-drug-videx-liver-problems-7963; online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20100129-714703.html?mod=WSJ_latestheadlines; www.medscape.com/viewarticle/716198.

Vitamin D Promotes Weight Loss

(NaturalNews) A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Minnesota found that overweight people have better success in losing weight when their vitamin D levels are increased. Dr. Shalamar Sibley, the researcher who headed the study, placed 38 obese men and women on a diet program and discovered that those whose vitamin D levels were increased lost up to a half pound more than those who followed the diet plan only. When combined with a reduced-calorie diet, it appears that supplementation with vitamin D helps to promote increased weight loss among those whose levels are low to begin with. For each nanogram per milliliter increase in vitamin D precursor in the blood, it was observed that an extra half pound loss in weight was able to be achieved while the diet plan. A study published earlier this year in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that 75 percent or more of American teens and adults are deficient in vitamin D. Vitamin D deficiency is linked to all sorts of serious illnesses including cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Researchers in the weight loss study are unsure whether vitamin D deficiency causes obesity or if obesity causes vitamin D deficiency. Nevertheless, there is a clear connection between the two. Vitamin D, in conjunction with calcium and sunlight, helps to properly assimilate food and regulate normal blood sugar levels. When there is a lack of calcium, oftentimes due to a vitamin D deficiency, the body increases production of synthase, a fatty acid enzyme that coverts calories into fat. Calcium deficiency can cause synthase production to increase by up to 500 percent, explaining the correlation between low levels of vitamin D and obesity. Mainstream research has only begun to scratch the surface about the importance of vitamin D in general health maintenance. A clinical study conducted in April of 2000 revealed that patients who were bound to wheelchairs because of chronic fatigue and body weakness became mobile after just six weeks of supplementation with 50,000 IU of vitamin D per week. Other studies are showing remarkable healing from all kinds of diseases when vitamin D is brought up to proper levels. Although current guidelines suggest daily intake somewhere between 400 and 600 IU, recent research is suggesting that this may be too low. Getting between 4,000 and 10,000 IU a day will have a much more therapeutic effect, boosting health and fending off disease. When natural sunlight is not an option, supplementation with vitamin D3 is the next best option. Sources for this story include: http://wcco.com/health/vitamin.d.weight.2.1383803.html, http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=vitamin-d-deficiency-united-states, http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/153669.php