Everyone knows that HRT for the menopause cause breast and ovarian cancers and heart problems – everyone that is except the doctors, who continue to prescribe the drugs at dangerously high doses.
Although the first major health alert about HRT was issued as long ago as 2001, and has been followed up since by studies that demonstrate other health risks, doctors have ignored the findings, say researchers from Stanford University.
Doctors weren’t even reverting to low-dose formulations, which offer many of the benefits but dramatically reduce the risks.
“It takes a huge event to change clinical practice, “said research team head Randall Stafford.
Clearly more than thousands of deaths.
(Source: Menopause, November 24, 2010. doi: 10.1097/gme.0b013e3181f43404).
Jet lag after a long-haul flight can affect us far longer than the first few days after we arrive – it can last for a whole month, researchers say.
Memory and learning problems can last for four weeks where the time difference is greater than five hours. This is not only significant for passengers on long-haul flights, it raises serious health concerns for crew, such as pilots and cabin staff, who could be regularly flying long-distance.
Researchers from the University of California at Berkeley say it could also have an unforeseen impact on the efficiency of workers in key professions such as medical staff.
(Source: PLoS ONE, December 1, 2010. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0015267).
It’s one of the greatest medical myths – that getting old is the cause of a range of illnesses, from dementia, arthritis, heart problems and the rest. In fact, age has nothing to do with it, researchers have discovered.
Older people who remain fit and well through good diet and exercise can expect to live longer than people 15 years younger – and they can remain sharper and fitter, too.
And it’s never too late to get into shape. Researchers found that a quarter of marathon and long-distance athletes aged up to 69 years had started running only five years previously, and they were already enjoying the benefits of exercise.
In a separate study, ‘senior moments’ of sudden memory loss and dementia have nothing to do with growing old, say researchers from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
Instead, dementia and memory loss are a sign of brain disease, and are not just one of those things that happen to us because we are old. The researchers based their findings on an on-going study of 350 Catholic nuns and priests who have been given memory tests every year for the past 13 years.
Parents worried about giving their children the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine can do one simple thing instead: just give them plenty of vitamin A.
Although the vitamin can’t stop children catching measles, it protects them against its worst effects.
Measles is often classified as a killer – usually by health agencies trying to scare parents into vaccinating their children – but it is a relatively benign disease in those who are not deficient in the vitamin.
Researchers at the Cochrane Institute, who studied 43 trials involving 215,633 children, discovered that vitamin A is a life-saver, as it prevents deaths in children who catch measles and suffer from diarrhea, which, on its own, is a major killer in developing countries.
Even giving the standard recommended dose of vitamin A reduced the risk of death by 24 per cent, the Cochrane researchers found, which equates to saving the lives of around 1 million children every year.
The Oxford University professor who made the headlines this week with his aspirin study – which demonstrated that the painkiller reduces the risk of cancer by 20 per cent – wasn’t telling the whole story. Just three years ago he discovered the drug was a major cause of stroke in the elderly.
His earlier findings may be the reason why Prof Peter Rothwell, at Oxford’s Department of Clinical Neurology, wasn’t as emphatic about taking aspirin as his cancer study warranted.
After announcing the findings, he cautioned: “I don’t think it’s necessarily right for the person who did the research to say what guidelines should be. We can’t say with absolute certainty that there won’t be some unknown harm in taking aspirin for 30 years…people have to accept there’s some uncertainty here.”
But there isn’t really any uncertainty. Prof Rothwell has already demonstrated that aspirin has caused a sevenfold increase in stroke over the past 25 years among elderly patients. At the time, he warned that aspirin could soon replace high blood pressure (hypertension) as the leading cause of stroke, especially among the over-75s.
He might also have had in mind a study from Eastern Virginia Medical School which discovered the drug is killing 20,000 Americans a year from gastro-intestinal bleeding – when the official records put the figure at just 59.
(Sources: Lancet, 2010; doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)62110-1 – cancer study; Lancet Neurology, 2007;6: 487-93 – stroke study; Proceedings of the Annual Scientific Meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology, October 15, 2007 – GI deaths study).
The health benefits of pomegranate juice just get better and better. The juice lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and researchers have discovered this week that it can help kidney patients on dialysis combat infections and heart problems.
The researchers, from the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, tested it on a group of 101 dialysis patients, who were given the juice or a placebo drink three times a week for a year.
The pomegranate juice group suffered fewer inflammatory problems, and they were less likely to need hospital care for infections.
The juice is a powerful antioxidant and infection-fighter, say the researchers.
(Source: 43rd Annual Meeting, American Society of Nephrology, Denver, Colorado, November 19, 2010).
Unconcerned by parents’ worries about overloading their children with too many vaccines, the UK’s health authorities are introducing a new ‘super shot’ which will be a six-in-one jab, including the controversial MMR.
The child will be given three separate injections in one surgery visit, which will purportedly offer protection against measles, mumps and rubella (the MMR shot), two forms of meningitis and PCV13, an infection that can cause pneumonia.
The new shot is expected to be introduced before the end of the year, although doctors have been told to use the new super-shot only on children aged one year or older.
The UK’s health agencies are confident the new super-shot will be well received by parents, and should increase the take-up of childhood vaccinations, a rate that fell dramatically after concerns that the MMR vaccine could cause autism.
However, nobody yet knows how the six vaccines will inter-react with each other, or how an immature immune system can cope.
Added sugars in processed foods and cola drinks could be one of the primary causes of today’s epidemic of ‘lifestyle diseases’, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity – and doctors don’t realise it.
Researchers at the University of Colorado, who have carried out an analysis of health effects of fructose in our food, say doctors do not suspect it could be one of the primary causes of a range of health conditions, collectively known as metabolic syndrome.
Not only are they causing hypertension, diabetes and obesity, they are also responsible for chronic kidney disease (CKD).
HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) is one of the most common forms of dietary fructose, and is found in almost every type of processed food, from breakfast cereals, biscuits, cakes, and cola drinks.
(Source: Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, November 29, 2010; doi: 10.1681/ASN.2010050506).
If you’ve developed a dry, itchy patch on the side of your face, your mobile (cell) phone is probably causing it.
The phone contains nickel, a common allergen, and prolonged use can cause an allergic skin reaction, say allergists. “Patients come in with dry, itchy patch on their cheeks, jaw lines and ears and have no idea what is causing their allergic reaction, “says allergist Luz Fonacier.
Nickel affects 17 per cent of women and 3 per cent of men, and is also found in keys, coins and paper clips.
Nickel allergy symptoms include redness, swelling, itching, eczema, skin lesions and sometimes oozing and scarring.
(Source: Annual Meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Phoenix, November 11-16, 2010).
Eating fruits and vegetables – or taking vitamin A, C and E supplements – is the single most important thing to do if you want to live longer.
The key to a long life is down to the levels of the antioxidant alpha-carotene you have in your blood – and you get that from certain fruits and vegetables, or from vitamin supplements.
Researchers from the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have discovered that high levels of alpha-carotene mean you are 40 per cent more likely to be around in 14 years time compared to someone with low or zero levels, and it protects you against heart disease and cancer.
They tracked the lives of 15,318 adults aged from 20 years from 1988 to 2006. During that time, 3,810 participants died, and the single most important factor was serum (blood) levels of alpha-carotene, after taking into account demographics, lifestyles and health risks. Those with the highest levels improved their chances of being alive over the study period by 40 per cent.
Vegetables rich in alpha-carotene are the ‘yellow-orange’ varieties – carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkin squashes – and the ‘dark greens’ – broccoli, green beans, green peas, spinach, turnips and leaf vegetables, such as cabbage.
(Source: Archives of Internal Medicine, 2010; doi: 10.1001/archinternmed.2010.440).
There’s more bad news about HRT (hormone replacement therapy), despite the best efforts of drug companies to put up a PR smokescreen. Not only does the drug cause heart disease and breast cancer in menopausal women, researchers have also discovered it increases the risk of ovarian cancer by 29 per cent.
If you must take HRT, take it for only a limited time, say researchers from Oxford University who discovered the drug’s new dangers. They profiled the health of 126,920 women over nine years, and found that those who were currently taking HRT had a 29 per cent increased risk of ovarian cancer. The risk disappeared in women who had taken the drug, but had since stopped the treatment.
The researchers discovered the risk was consistent across all types of HRT – whether estrogen or estrogen plus progestin – and dose.
This latest news is a blow to drug manufacturers, who have mounted a sustained campaign of spin and PR masquerading as science since 2001 when the first health concerns over HRT were raised by the prestigious Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study.
(Source: Proceedings of the ninth annual AACR Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Conference, Philadelphia, November 7-10, 2010).
Our mind can dramatically alter disease – and even improve painful, chronic conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, a new study has discovered.
Researchers made the discovery when they were reviewing the effectiveness of homeopathic remedies on a group of 83 rheumatoid arthritis patients.
They discovered it wasn’t the remedy, but the consultation – the time spent talking to a homeopath, who was sympathetic to their pain – that was making the difference.
After the consultation, the participants reported physical changes to swollen joints, and a decrease in pain and negative feelings.
Food allergy may soon be a thing of the past – if a Chinese herbal formula turns out to be as beneficial as early test results are suggesting.
A new Chinese herbal formula, FAHF-2 (Food Allergy Herbal Formula), has already significantly reduced allergy to peanuts when it was tested on laboratory mice.
Thus far, FAHF-2 has passed two levels of clinical trials, and has been proven to be safe in humans, and its preventative effects last for 40 weeks – giving people with food allergies nearly a year free of discomfort and bloating.
Allergist Helen Chan, one of the researchers, said that the formula is a one-course treatment that may be effective against all allergens, and not just peanuts.
(Source: Proceedings of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, Phoenix, November 15, 2010).
One in 10 children in America suffers from ADHD (attention-deficit/hyperactive disorder), and two-thirds of these – around 2.7 million – are taking medication, new figures reveal.
About 5.4 million American children, aged from 4 to 17 years, have some form of ADHD, according to the latest figures. This represents a 21 per cent increase over a four-year period.
The current levels could be even worse as these figures represent the situation in 2007, when the survey was carried out. If the trend has continued, 6.48 million American children have ADHD today.
The increase has happened across all socio-demographic groups, and especially among older teenagers, who have witnessed a 42 per cent rise.
Researchers from the US’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention surveyed parents, who were asked if a doctor or healthcare provider had diagnosed ADHD in their child.
(Source: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, 2010; 59: 1439-43).
H.Samuel is the nation’s favourite High Street Jeweller with over 350 stores. Featuring an incredible range of branded watches, H.Samuel also has a stunning range of jewellery, collectibles and gifts for all occasions, offering something for every taste and style.
H Samuel will lso buy the UK ‘s unwanted jewellery for cash.
As the UK’s favourite high street jeweller their gold buying is an easy-to-use, fast, competitive and reliable service.
Operating as an online only service, Just click the Banner below to get started:
The Modern Herbals product range appeals to people who are health conscious and where their fitness is very important to them.
It is for this reason that Modern Herbals is committed to offering their customers high quality products and outstanding service. They offer a selection of dietary, herbal and food supplements from leading brand name suppliers.
All the products are natural, using materials that have a beneficial and harmonious effect on the body without toxicity and side effects, and are vegetarian whenever possible.
The Modern Herbals nutritionist and team are dedicated to sourcing and researching the most innovative product ranges on the market., with new products introduced every month.
Now you can buy online from the High Street Cycle Shop
Evans Cycles are the UK’s largest specialist cycle retailer. Their website stocks the most comprehensive range of bikes, cycling equipment and cycle clothing in the market.
The range covers mountain biking, BMX, road cycling, commuting, folding bikes and kids bikes.
Brands include Specialized, Trek, Kona, Cannondale, GT, Saracen, Raleigh and more.
As well as stocking the latest gear they are also renowned for their massive stock of sale bikes and ‘last chance’ clothing and accessory items, many up to half price!
With Free delivery options for all UK orders.
Just Click any one of the Banners below to go to their Shop
Looking for something special for that someone in your life or a treat for yourself?
Buying online is safe and easy these days with lots of choice at such great prices.
Lingerie Express is a leading on-line boutique retailing designer glamour lingerie erotic lingerie.
They stock brands that are not normally found on the High-Street. They have a large selection of Lingerie, Corsets, Men’s Wear, leather wear and Accessories.
You will find departments in their online store for all these items:
Accessories, Babydolls, Basque & Bustiers, Bikinis, Bodystockings, Bras, Bridal Lingerie, Briefs and Thongs, Camisoles, Chemise, Christmas Underwear, Corsets, Costumes, Dresses & Clubwear, Gowns & Robes, Hosiery, Leather Lingerie, Lingerie Sale, Lingerie Sets, Mens, Plus Size Lingerie, Swimwear, and Teddies.
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