Breastfeeding absolutely vital for strengthening the developing lungs of children, research finds

New research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine adds to the growing body of evidence showing that breastfeeding is crucial for proper human development. According to the research, babies who are breastfed develop stronger lungs…

High fiber, low carbohydrate diet dramatically lowers inflammatory disease risk

(NaturalNews)Researchers from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center have published the result of a study showing that a diet rich in slowly digested carbohydrates, such as leafy green vegetables, legumes and other high-fiber foods, significantly reduces markers of inflammation…

Advanced electrical stimulation technology can repair damaged nerves, restore neuron function with virtually no side effects

(NaturalNews) Patients suffering from nerve damage or paralysis may soon be able to better regain function, thanks to a new electrical stimulation technique developed by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston, Mass., and engineers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Science Daily reports that the new method of functional electrical stimulation (FES) reduces electrical output by 40 percent and better protects surrounding nerves and tissues from damage by focusing energy directly to the damaged site. Published in the journal Nature Materials , the findings reveal a method of stimulating neuronal activity in patients with nerve damage that is superior to traditional FES technologies. By reducing the amount of electrical current emitted and better concentrating it into damaged areas, scientists have successfully developed a safer and more efficient method of helping nerve-damaged patients regain function with less damaging side effects. “This new device works by manipulating the concentration of charged ions surrounding the nerve,” said Samuel J. Lin, MD, a surgeon at BIDMC’s Divisions of Plastic Surgery and Otolaryngology, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Harvard Medical School, and co-author of the study. “This could potentially mean reduced risk to surrounding nerves because less electrical current is required to stimulate the affected nerve.” Since sensory nerves and the nerves that control movements are located very closely together, reducing both the amount of electrical current as well as its spread is crucial to maximizing the benefits and reducing the side effects of FES treatments. And after experimenting with the various ions in the fluid that surrounds nerves, the research team discovered that removing the positively charged calcium ions helps to focus the electrical current on the damaged nerve areas while protecting the healthy areas. “Nerve fibers fire their signals based on the message they receive from the interaction of ions, or charged particles,” added Lin. “The nerves that control movements and the sensory nerves that carry pain signals are extremely close together, so existing FES therapy has had limitations. This (new discovery) is an important step towards the design of a device to help patients suffering from nerve paralysis and chronic neurological conditions.” Sources for this article include: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/11/111121194131.htm

Report: 45 tons of highly radioactive water leaked from Fukushima

(NaturalNews) The woes of Fukushima are far from over as the plant’s owner, the Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), announced recently that a purification mechanism has leaked at least 45 tons of highly radioactive water, some of which ended up flowing directly into the ocean. TEPCO officials are reportedly in the process of investigating the situation to determine the extent of the damage caused. Throughout the past year, government authorities have been working with TEPCO to bring the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power facility into a complete, cold shutdown by the end of the year. This means that instead of exceeding its boiling point and reheating nuclear fuel as has been the case since the devastating March 11 disaster, nuclear cooling water is effectively maintained below its boiling point in order to prevent any further leakage and damage (http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/12/02/us-japan-nuclear-shutdown-idUSTRE7B104520111202). But according to information posted on TEPCO’s website, a decontamination device that had been purifying radioactive cooling water sprung a leak, which sent at least 45 tons of highly radioactive water outside the containment facility. Cracked concrete also allowed some of that water to leak into a gutter that drains directly into nearby ocean waters (http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/press/corp-com/release/index-e.html). Samples taken of the water surrounding the purification device revealed shockingly high levels of radiation, with reports indicating 16,000 becquerels per liter (Bq/l) of cesium-134 and 29,000 Bq/l of cesium-137. This amount of radiation is 270 times and 322 times higher, respectively, than the government’s maximum safety thresholds, according to the Citizens’ Nuclear Information Center in Tokyo. A BusinessWeek report explains that the water also contained 1.8 millisieverts per hour of gamma radiation and 110 millisieverts of beta radiation, both of which are damaging forms of ionizing radiation emitted from nuclear waste that can cause cell damage, leukemia, cancer and various other severe health problems. “The source of the beta radiation in the water is likely to include strontium 90, which if absorbed in the body through eating tainted seaweed or fish, accumulates in bone and can cause cancer,” said Tetsuo Ito, head of Kinki University’s Atomic Energy Research Institute, concerning the situation. Data gathered found that strontium levels in the water are has high as one million times the government’s maximum safety threshold. Sources for this article include: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2011/12/05/water-leaks-from-crippled-japanese-nuclear-plant/ http://news.businessweek.com/article.asp?documentKey=1376-LVPG781A74E901-48V5TPE8SHT4ECD0HGHI681CL5

New study reveals expensive MRIs pushed on women for breast cancer screening have no medical benefit

(NaturalNews) The use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging, better known simply as MRI, for breast cancer screening is increasing and so is its use in guiding breast surgery when cancer is discovered. Obviously, that means healthcare costs are soaring, too, as more and more women are advised to get MRIs in addition to mammograms. The push started in 2007. At that time, the New York Times reported a breast MRI cost $1,000 to $2,000, and sometimes more — at least 10 times the cost of mammography. So for every million breast MRIs performed each year, healthcare costs spike by at least a billion dollars. Sometimes, but not always, these test are covered by Medicare and insurance. Of course, despite this enormous cost, the only reason doctors and medical centers would be urging women to have these expensive tests is because there must be convincing proof breast MRIs are excellent for spotting breast cancer and/or for directing cancer therapy. But this is not true. Although it may be hard to believe, here comes the shocking truth, as just reported in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet . Monica Morrow from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues meticulously reviewed research from the past decade to examine the belief that breast MRIs are effective at finding and treating breast cancer. What they found was just the opposite. There is little to no evidence breast MRIs benefit the vast majority of women. In fact, there’s not even evidence showing breast MRIs are particularly effective at helping direct breast-conserving surgery. Selling women on breast MRIs with no proof the tests increase survival The new study did indicate breast MRI can be valuable in screening women at very high risk for breast cancer due to their genetic heritage. However, let’s take a closer look at that finding. According to a media statement, the researchers noted that while a breast MRI can identify tumors missed by mammograms and ultrasound in women at risk of breast cancer due to a known gene mutation or their family history, “little is known about whether or not this improved detection has any impact on survival.” “MRI has, over recent years, been widely adopted into clinical practice based on the assumption that its increased sensitivity at detecting cancer will improve outcomes for patients,” the authors noted in a media release. Bottom line: they found there’s no actual evidence having a breast MRI that spots cancer in a high risk woman means they will live any longer than they would have if they’d never had the test. According to the research team, that fact that breast MRIs produce more sensitive images does not translate into better surgical treatment or prognoses when used to evaluate women before surgery, either. “The available data does not support the idea that MRI improves patient selection for breast-conserving surgery or that it increases the likelihood of obtaining negative margins [no cancer cells found in margins of resection] at the initial surgical excision,” they wrote. Sources for this article include: http://www.thelancet.com/ http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/28/health/28mri.html

New evidence chemotherapy for breast cancer causes brain damage

(NaturalNews) Primary breast cancer (meaning a breast malignancy that hasn’t spread to other parts of the body) isn’t usually thought of as causing neurological problems. After all, if cancer hasn’t spread to the brain, why would it? Researchers have been forced to wonder about the answer to that question because a growing body of evidence over the past several years strongly suggests that women with breast cancer are at increased risk for not only problems with brain function but with actual alterations in their brain structure, too. It turns out, according to a report just published in the November issue of the Archives of Neurology , that it’s not the cancer but the treatment for breast cancer — specifically chemotherapy — that could be causing a significant amount of the neurological impairment with poor outcomes seen in women with breast cancer. Shelli R. Kesler, Ph.D., and colleagues at Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, conducted an observational study to investigate whether patterns of brain activation differed between breast cancer survivors who were treated with chemotherapy and those who didn’t have chemo. The research team also compared the brain activity of these breast cancer survivors to the brain activity of healthy women who were cancer-free. In all, the study involved 25 women with breast cancer who received chemotherapy, 19 women with breast cancer who did not undergo chemotherapy, and 18 healthy female controls. All the research subjects were matched for age and other variables. The women were asked to perform a variety of tasks while the scientists used functional MRIs to measure and document activation in several areas of the women’s brains. Imaging tests showed specific areas of brain injury “Women with breast cancer demonstrated significantly reduced activation in the left middle dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and premotor cortex compared with healthy controls,” the authors reported in the paper. “The chemotherapy group also demonstrated significantly reduced left caudal lateral prefrontal cortex activation and increased perseverative errors and reduced processing speed compared with the other two groups.” So what does this mean in plain English? The researchers concluded that primary breast cancer may cause measurable brain injury but chemotherapy clearly showed significant negative effects on brain function. The damage caused by chemotherapy was more likely to be increased in older women and those with less education, too. “Women treated with chemotherapy may show additional prefrontal deficits and have difficulty compensating for neurobiological changes such that they also show impaired executive function,” the scientists concluded in their research paper. This is very worrisome because executive function is a critical part of normal brain function. The components of executive function include working memory and recall (holding facts in your mind while working on a problem and accessing facts stored in long-term memory); paying attention and completing tasks; emotional control, such as thinking before acting and speaking; using self-talk to control behavior; and complex problem solving including analyzing issues and coming up with new ideas. Sources for this article include : http://archneur.ama-assn.org/ http://pubs.ama-assn.org/ http://www.naturalnews.com/chemotherapy.html

Study confirms benefits of tanning, sun exposure for the production of health-promoting vitamin D

(NaturalNews) Exposing your unprotected skin to natural sunlight and even using a tanning bed are not necessarily the highly dangerous, cancer promoting activities that many in the government and media would have you believe they are. A new study out of Oslo University Hospital (OUH) in Norway confirms what we here at NaturalNews have been saying for a long time — regular exposure to moderate levels of sunlight promotes good health through the healthy production of vitamin D in the body. Johan Moan, a scientist and researcher from the Department of Radiation Biology at OUH’s Institute for Cancer Research found that the benefits derived from exposure to vitamin D-producing UV rays far outweigh the miniscule risk of developing cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM). In fact, it is primarily overexposure in the form of sunburns that is responsible for UV-related cancer risk. “Sun exposure is commonly supposed to be the main cause of cutaneous malignant melanoma (CMM) in most populations. However, the matter is disputed,” said Moan and his research team in conjunction with their findings. “It can be estimated that increased sun exposure to the Norwegian population might at worst result in 200-300 more CMM deaths per year, but it would elevate the vitamin D status by about 25 nmol/l (nanomoles per liter) and might result in 4,000 fewer internal cancers and about 3,000 fewer cancer deaths overall.” But the risk of getting skin cancer from exposing skin to natural sunlight or a tanning bed, might even be less than that. Ivan Oransky, editor of Reuters Health and treasurer of the Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ), wrote last year in a blog that the actual risk of getting skin cancer from using a tanning bed is about 0.2 percent, and this risk likely only includes those that overexpose themselves (http://www.naturalnews.com/029895_skin_cancer_tanning_beds.html). Russian health authorities also recognize the benefits of tanning beds, as they last year installed tanning beds in Russian prisons to help improve inmate health (http://www.naturalnews.com/030416_tanning_beds_prisoners.html). Vitamin D deficiency is linked to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, endocrine dysfunction, infections, autoimmune disorders, kidney problems, neurological disease, respiratory illness, skin problems, and cancer, among other things (http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/health-conditions/). Sources for this article include: http://www.voxy.co.nz/health/sunbed-cancer-risk-may-be-worth-it-study/5/106749

Truth comes out: 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic ‘deaths’ of children were actually caused by MRSA

(NaturalNews) Remember two years ago when every news show featured hysterical reports about the so-called H1N1 pandemic and how the supposed killer flu was striking down healthy kids? True, many previously healthy children became critically ill, developing severe pneumonia and respiratory failure. And some tragically died after being diagnosed with H1N1. But was that really the accurate explanation of what caused their death? According to the largest nationwide investigation to date of the flu in children who became critically ill, scientists from Children’s Hospital Boston have found another reason to explain the severity of the youngsters illness. It turns out that it most likely wasn’t H1N1 alone that caused healthy children to become so ill many died. Instead, these kids were unknowingly infected with something else. That additional infection, the superbug known as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) , spiked the risk for flu-related deaths 8-fold in children who were otherwise believed to be totally healthy before they became ill. Almost all of these children who were found to be infected with the superbug were immediately treated with vancomycin, considered to be best treatment for MRSA. Yet they died despite being administered this powerful antibiotic and their deaths were blamed on the flu . But the new research suggests it was the MRSA that played a huge role in killing these children. “There’s more risk for MRSA to become invasive in the presence of flu or other viruses,” study leader Adrienne Randolph, MD, MsC, of the Division of Critical Care Medicine at Children’s Hospital Boston. Said in a statement to the media. “These deaths in co-infected children are a warning sign.” He added this is especially alarming given the rising rates of MRSA infections being carried widely among children. “It is not common in the U.S. to lose a previously healthy child to pneumonia,” Randolph said. “Unfortunately, these children had necrotizing pneumonia eating away at their tissue and killing off whole areas of the lung. They looked like immunocompromised patients in the way MRSA went through their body. It’s not that flu alone can’t kill – it can – but in most cases children with flu alone survived.” MRSA risk continues to spread Sixty percent of the youngsters investigated for the new study already had sometimes serious health problems before contracting the flu. But of the 251 children (30 percent) previously healthy children included in the research, the only risk factor that was identified which likely contributed to their increased risk of dying was a diagnosis of a MRSA infection in the lung. The researchers expressed surprise that the antibiotic used to treat the MRSA-infected children didn’t work and suggested the drug couldn’t penetrate the lungs or the disease moved too rapidly. Recent studies have shown a worrisome rise in the number of youngsters who are carriers of MRSA. A 2010 study published in Pediatrics found that the number of children hospitalized for MRSA infections increased from 2 in 1,000 admissions in 1999 to 21 in 1,000 admissions by 2008. The cause appears to be the never-ending and growing use of antibiotics in people and animals. “The more antibiotics we take, the more we colonize ourselves with antibiotic-resistant organisms such as MRSA,” Randolph noted. Curiously, the researchers are not emphasizing going after the cause and spread of MRSA infections as much as they are using their findings to push for flu shots. Their study, just published in the journal Pediatrics , promotes flu vaccination among all children aged 6 months and older. Sources for this article include: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/current http://www.childrenshospital.org/newsroom/Site1339/mainpageS1339P1.html

B vitamins and omega fat ratio are critical to prevent Alzheimer’s disease

(NaturalNews) Proper nutritional status, attained by consuming a healthy diet teamed with natural vitamins and minerals along with optimization of omega fat lipid ratios, can help to prevent cognitive decline associated with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathology. Researchers studying the effects of nutrition at Oxford University in England found that daily supplementation with folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 lowered levels of homocysteine, a known risk factor leading to decline in cognition and memory. Further evidence published in the journal Molecular Nutrition and Food Research explains that a disproportionate ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids plays a crucial role in the development of AD in later life. Cellular nutritional saturation from diet and appropriate supplementation with B vitamins and omega-3 fats may provide the cornerstone to prevent this most feared memory-robbing disease. Reporting in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry , scientists examined the proposed link between elevated homocysteine levels and cognitive decline. Homocysteine has already been shown to dramatically increase the risk of heart disease and heart attack in prior studies. Researchers examined 266 people over the age of 70 with established mild cognitive impairment, and broke them into two groups. One group was supplemented with folic acid, vitamin B6 and B12, vitamin cofactors that lower homocysteine levels, while the second group received a placebo. B Vitamin Supplementation Shown to Lower Homocysteine by 30% and to Slow Brain Atrophy Brain wasting or atrophy is a common sign of cognitive impairment and is closely associated with Alzheimer’s dementia. The rate of brain atrophy is increased by higher concentrations of homocysteine in the blood and brain tissue. Researchers examining the results of this study found that the group, which supplemented with B vitamins for a period of two years, experienced a 30% reduction in homocysteine levels. They found dramatic improvements in mental tests including global cognition and episodic memory (69% improvement in word recall memory) compared to the control group. The standard American diet (SAD) includes large quantities of oxidized omega-6 fats from fried and processed foods when compared to omega-3 fat consumption (from fish, nuts and seeds). The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids ranges from 20:1 to as high as 50:1 (ideal range is no more than 4:1), creating a perpetual degree of inflammation throughout the body. Researchers have determined that this imbalance creates a disturbance in brain chemistry affecting neurotransmitter balance and electrical firing in the brain that sets the stage for amyloid tangles and cognitive decline. Reestablishing omega fat homeostasis by balancing toward a 1:1 intake ratio and by correcting B vitamin nutritional deficiencies provide deep insight toward understanding and controlling the development of many forms of dementia including Alzheimer’s disease. Most middle aged adults will want to include a high potency B vitamin supplement (preferably formulated from natural food sources) and to include omega-3 fats from diet or fish oil consumption to lower dementia risk factors. Sources for this article include: http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/New-review-backs-nutrient-modification-for-Alzheimer-s-prevention/ http://www.chemeurope.com/en/publications/276027/dietary-lipids-and-their-oxidized-products-in-alzheimer-s-disease.html http://www.nutraingredients.com/Research/B-vitamins-may-slow-cognitive-decline-Oxford-University-study/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/gps.2758/abstract

Iron supplements cause more harm than good

(NaturalNews) For the last several decades, iron supplements have been routinely handed out like candy. Because iron is a basic requirement for cell growth and longevity, it is often assumed that people should supplement with extra iron. However, this faulty belief may carry serious health risks. High Iron Linked to Heart Attack Risk and More In one Finnish study of more than 2,000 individuals, researchers found that stored iron was more strongly linked to heart attack risk than either high blood pressure or high cholesterol. It is believed that women who menstruate regularly are less likely to experience heart attacks because iron levels are reduced by the loss of blood each month. The same line of logic explains why men who donate blood regularly also experience fewer heart attacks. High levels of iron are linked to more than just heart attack risk: – One study showed that iron supplementation disrupted the balance of gut flora in children. Children who were given iron supplements showed an increase in harmful bacteria and a decrease in beneficial bacteria. – Research indicates that lower levels of iron can actually be protective against infectious disease, leukemia and lymphatic cancers. – Other studies demonstrate that iron produces free radicals which accelerate the aging process. It is easy to see why high iron is a common problem these days, when you consider that the modern diet is heavy in muscle meats and countless foods which contain added iron. Typical staples in the American diet – such as breads, pastas and cereals – are required by federal law to be enriched with added iron. In addition, iron is also present in many multivitamin and mineral supplements. A common misconception is that anemia is directly linked to iron deficiency, so iron supplements are often the first line of defense when anemia is suspected. However, anemia can be caused by other factors as well, such as reduced thyroid function and vitamin B12 deficiency. Supplementing iron in these cases is unnecessary and can exacerbate the problem by not treating the true underlying issue. It is far more logical to recommend iron supplementation only when tests show an actual deficiency in iron. Using hemoglobin or red blood cell tests to determine iron deficiency may not only be inaccurate, but could be harmful if iron supplementation is given when it is not needed. Even when a true iron deficiency exists, it is safer to eat foods naturally high in iron than rely on supplements. Sources for this article include: http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20109194,00.html http://raypeat.com/articles/articles/iron-dangers.shtml http://www.greenmedinfo.com/toxic-article/iron-fortification-results-unfavorable-ratio-fecal-enterobacteria-bifidobacteria-and-l http://articles.cnn.com/2000-04-26/health/give.blood.wmd_1_iron-levels-heart-disease-lower-risk?_s=PM:HEALTH

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