Experimental GMO Drug-Making Crops Grown with Little Oversight

 

gmo-corn-fieldFrom a regulatory perspective, GM crops are considered to be “substantially equivalent” to their non-GM counterparts. This means, that they are essentially the same, with no meaningful differences for your health or the environment.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has (so far) not required labeling of GM foods because they are deemed to be “substantially equivalent” to non-GM foods. It is also due to substantial equivalence that no oversight or long-term safety testing has been required of GM crops.

01 May 2015

Recipe For Health: Cold Tomato Soup

 

gazpacho-tomato-soupIf you have planted tomatoes in your garden this year, you may have realized, too late, that you planted more than you need. Late summer is also a perfect time to snag great deals on tomatoes at farmer’s markets, where you may be able to pick up a half-bushel of freshly grown tomatoes for a fraction of the cost at your supermarket.

The question then is, what should you do with all of these tomatoes? If you’ve grown tired of eating them in salads or whole, like an apple, as a snack, making homemade tomato sauce is one of the best uses of large amounts of tomatoes…

01 May 2015

Why So Many Mixed Messages on Mammogram Benefits?

 

mammographyEarlier this year, one of the largest and longest studies of mammography to date — involving 90,000 women followed for 25 years — found that mammograms have no impact on breast cancer mortality.

Over the course of the study, the death rate from breast cancer was virtually identical between those who received an annual mammogram and those who did not, while 22 percent of screen-detected invasive breast cancers were over-diagnosed, leading to unnecessary treatment. The researchers concluded “the data suggest that the value of mammography screening should be reassessed.”

30 Apr 2015

US Soda Makers Pledge 20 Percent Calorie Cut by 2025

 

soda-calories

The soda industry is a $75-billion market,1 an industry that reached its greatest heights in the US during the 1980s and 1990s, when Coca-Cola began pushing larger drink sizes and “upsizing.” Fountain drink sizes grew more than 50 percent by 1990, and in 1994, the 20-ounce plastic bottle was introduced in the US.

As people drank more and more soda, rates of obesity and diabetes soared, and while the soda industry still denies to this day any connection, research suggests otherwise.

29 Apr 2015

How To Keep Your Brain Young

 

brainAre forgetfulness and “senior moments” inevitable parts of aging? Many medical professionals (including the doctor in CNN’s news brief above) say it’s perfectly normal to start having memory lapses by the time you reach middle age.

I disagree. In fact, if you notice memory lapses, you may want to seriously consider making some immediate lifestyle changes to help reverse, or at least minimize further damage that might lead to dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.

28 Apr 2015

Grief Can Weigh on Immune System in Older Folks, Study Says

 

old-man-grievingExperiencing the loss of a loved one takes a heavy toll on your emotional health, but it doesn’t stop there. The extreme stress that results during bereavement affects you physically, too, and can manifest as both chronic disease and acute illness.

Stress plays a major role in your immune system, and can impact your blood pressure, cholesterol levels, brain chemistry, blood sugar levels, and hormonal balance…

27 Apr 2015

Endurance Exercise Can Damage Your Teeth—Here’s How…

 

endurance-exerciseAccording to dental professionals, endurance athletes are at greater risk for dental problems than non-athletes, courtesy of their fitness regimen. Why would that be so?

As it turns out, there appears to be two primary culprits contributing to this phenomenon: consuming large amounts of sports drinks, and breathing improperly during training, causing dry mouth.

Either of these can wreak havoc with your oral health, and the risks are amplified when you add them together.

26 Apr 2015

The Importance of Intermittent Movement for Longevity

 

sitting-upMounting research suggests that even if you exercise regularly, you might still succumb to the ill effects of too much sitting.

For example, a study published last year1 concluded that adults who spend an average of six hours a day in front of the TV will cut their life expectancy by nearly five years, compared to someone who does not watch TV…

25 Apr 2015

5 Yoga Poses to Help You Touch Your Toes

 

yoga-poseIn the US, yoga has become an increasingly popular form of mind-body exercise, with the number of those who practice increasing by close to 30 percent in recent years.

Nearly 9 percent of US adults practice yoga for reasons that vary from improving strength to relieving back pain or stress. The Yoga Journal actually revealed the top five reasons why so many people try yoga, and they ranked as follows:

25 Apr 2015

7 Underrated Medicinal Plants

 

medicinal-plantBefore there was modern-day medicine and its pharmacopeia of synthetic drugs, there were plants, and ancient civilizations knew how to use them strategically to treat common ailments and even life-threatening diseases.

The ancient Egyptian Ebers Papyrus, a scroll from 1550 BC that’s over 100 pages long, details 700 medicinal herbs and how to use them. The Greek Corpus Hippocraticum from the 16th century BC also details the use of herbal medicine…

24 Apr 2015