Heavy drinkers outlive non drinkers.
People who have 1-3 drinks a day outlive those who drink 4+ drinks a day and the 4+ a day drinkers outlive none drinkers. It's time to get our drink on.
A dozen years ago, a British physician named Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a paper in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet that did immeasurable harm to children.
Wakefield, who back in 1998 was working at London’s Royal Free Hospital, claimed in the article that the vaccination of 12 children with measles/mumps/rubella (MMR) vaccine had caused a reaction in their bowels that caused autism.
At a press conference shortly after the paper came out, Wakefield urged parents not to give their children the combination vaccine.
The British press went crazy over the report. The word and the fear quickly spread around the world.
Since the controversial paper was published, British parents abandoned the vaccine in droves, leading to a resurgence of measles. Vaccination rates for measles have never recovered, and there are outbreaks of the disease in the U.K. every year.
And across the globe, millions of parents who choose to follow their own doctors' advice and vaccinate their children have had to face the anxiety of an alleged link to a dread disease.
All this despite the fact that no scientists were ever able to replicate Wakefield's findings.
Yesterday, The Lancet, after years of investigations, lawsuits, press complaints and accusations, took the unprecedented step of withdrawing this 12-year-old article as misleading and false...
Evolutionary theory has allowed science to now have the means to branch together ideas that unifies all of the fields of naturalism into a single discipline. While you do not need evolution to understand how the stomach absorbs food, you can't explain why the intestines are so good at it, without evolution. In spite of this evolutionary medicine did not get started into the 80's and early 90's and only within the last 10 years has evolutionary perspective really helped to reduce suffering and risk of death.
Stearns and a long list of scientists presented their findings on this evolution-medicine link at the Arthur M. Sackler Colloquium in the spring of 2009. These are some of their conclusions.
* Humans evolved alongside beneficial bacteria and parasitic worms, and so our ancestors built up immunity to such bugs. But nowadays with increased hygiene, we've eliminated the bacteria and worms. The result: Since our immune systems aren’t used to these good bugs, our bodies fight them as foreigners. That can result in allergies, asthma and autoimmune diseases, such as Graves' disease in which a person has an overactive thyroid.
* Humans have higher rates of cancer than other species. One reason: We aren't adapted to the new risk factors of modern society, including tobacco, alcohol, a high-fat diet and contraceptives, researchers have found.
* Certain adaptations that once benefited us might be helping several ailments to persist in spite of, or perhaps because of, advancements in modern culture and medicine, according to researchers.
>Interbreeding: although world wide travel has lead to a mixing of races humans in more rural areas still tend to interbreed and world wide 10% of marriages are to first or second cousins. House of Habsburg is a good example of some of the negative consequences of interbreeding with recessive traits being more likely to get passed on.
>AutismandEvolution : Autism results from a battle of the sexes. Basically since females know that the child they are carrying is 100% they distribute all of their genes equally however such is not the case with males. Males never really being sure if the child their partner is carrying is really resulting in males sometimes releasing a little more in some areas kinda as markers of paternal certainty. For instance, when the paternal form of a gene on chromosome 15 gets expressed, and not the mother's, the resulting offspring will be more demanding, sleep poorly, want to suckle frequently and have a 40 percent to 80 percent chance of having autism as an adult. (Humans normally have 46 chromosomes in each cell.) We're trying to design ways to educate physicians who will have a broader perspective and not think of the human body as a perfectly designed machine," Ellison said. "Our biology is the result of many evolutionary trade-offs, and understanding these histories and conflicts can really help the physician understand why we get sick and what we might do to stay healthy."
From the article: "team of microbiologists from Hollins University found that 48% of sodas tested from the fast food fountains contain coliform bacteria, which is typically fecal in origin. And most bacteria found were antibiotic resistant, as icing on the cake."
As if a fast-food run didn't already make you feel shitty. I shudder to think of what might be lurking in the candy bowl at the Denny's counter.
A recent study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) & John Hopkins University has found that circumcision dramatically changes the bacterial communities of the penis, substantially lowering the risk of HIV in men. Circumcised males who have dramatically altered their bacterial pools are argued to be less likely to cause bacterial infections in their female partners.
Past studies have also demonstrated a cause-and-effect relationship between circumcision and HIV risk. three randomized-control trials, were examined, in sub-Saharan Africa, where the circumcision rate is relatively low and the HIV infection rate is relatively high. Results form all three studies demonstrated a more than 40 percent reduction in HIV acquisition among circumcised men.
These result coupled with past research has lead some researchers and health activists to argue "The study — The Effects of Circumcision on the Penis Microbiome — could lead to new non-surgical HIV preventative strategies for the estimated 70 percent of men worldwide (more than 2 billion) who, because of religious or cultural beliefs, or logistic or financial barriers, are not likely to become circumcised."
several mechanisms have been proposed for how circumcision reduces HIV acquisition in men:
* Circumcision reduces the amount of mucosal tissue exposed to vaginal secretions during heterosexual intercourse and thus may reduce the potential interactions between the virus and its target immune cells.
* Circumcision results in a process called keratinization, whereby the top layer of the inner foreskin becomes thicker, which may provide additional protection for the underlying target immune cells.
* Circumcision-associated physiological changes of the penis — including lower moisture and oxygen availability around the head of the penis — may reduce the number of pro-inflammatory anaerobic bacteria that could make the target immune cells more vulnerable to HIV infection.
Circumcision remains a controversial procedure that has ardent proponents and opponents. Those who favor circumcision point to many studies demonstrating lower risk for sexually transmitted diseases associated with circumcision. Those who oppose circumcision point to the potential dangers of the procedure itself as well as cultural concerns.
what is your view? should circumcision be mandated as a means to prevent the spread of HIV?
A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep.
[...]
Lead author James E. Gangwisch, PhD, assistant professor at Columbia University Medical Center in New York, N.Y., said that the results strengthen the argument that short sleep duration could play a role in the etiology of depression.
"Our results are consistent with the theory that inadequate sleep is a risk factor for depression, working with other risk and protective factors through multiple possible causal pathways to the development of this mood disorder," said Gangwisch. "Adequate quality sleep could therefore be a preventative measure against depression and a treatment for depression."
Participants were asked about their own use of fly sprays, repellents, animal poisons, pet flea treatments and nit shampoos and asked geographical questions, for example if they lived less than a mile from an agricultural field.
Their exposure levels were then calculated using a score from 0 to 8. The experts found that individual biocides were not linked with an increased risk of hypospadias, but high use of several biocides was associated with a 73% increased risk.
If used in the first three months, chemicals in the repellents could increase the risk of hypospadias by 81%, it found.
Hypospadias is when the tube (urethra) that carries urine and semen from the bladder to the opening at the tip of the penis is too short, leaving the opening on the underside of the penis instead of at the end. The condition is thought to affect around one to two baby boys in every 500.
Researchers (at NIH) took a group of 201 black men who already had heart disease and randomly assigned them to one of two groups over a nine year period. In one group they received training on Transcendental Meditation technique and the other control group received health education classes in traditional risk factors, including dietary modification and exercise.
All participants continued standard medications and other usual medical care.
The study found:
-A 47 percent reduction in the combination of death, heart attacks, and strokes in the participants
-Clinically significant (5 mm Hg average) reduction in blood pressure associated with decrease in clinical events
-Significant reductions in psychological stress in the high-stress subgroup
I am always a bit skeptical of these claims. I plan to look into this practice some more. I did notice that the Transcendental Mediation is a trademark of Maharishi Mashesh Yogi (Beatles guru) and of course he will sell you his secret method for the low prices listed below.
Course Fees for Instruction in the Transcendental Meditation Program in the United States:
* Adult course fee: $1500
* Full-time student: $750
* Those in financial need, for example, retired people on fixed income, and single parents in need: $750
* Couple: $1500 + $750 for partner
* Children under 18 (if learning to meditate with a parent): $375
Recently NASA was granted funding to assess the long-term effects of radiation on monkeys leaving animal rights activists up in arms. In the study 18 to 28 squirrel monkeys would be subjected to radiation and periodically tested to gauge how exposure affects performance in a variety of learned tasks. Astronauts would be bombarded by stellar and galactic radiation on missions to Mars, yet the health effects of such a trip are not well known.
Quote from opposition: "Interplanetary human travel is, at best, a highly speculative aim for the foreseeable future," the organization's appeal states. "To put animals through radiation tests now in anticipation of such an enterprise is in no way justified."
Quote from NASA representative: "There's a long-standing commitment on the part of NASA to deep space travel, and with that commitment comes a need for knowing what kinds of adverse effects deep space travel might have, what are the risks to astronauts," Bergman told Discovery News. "That's not been well assessed."
The key is improper service, if the wax job is done properly then there's nothing to worry about. However, if the service is done incorrectly - waxing your eyebrows can lead to eye herpes and in extreme cases even blindness. The Oklahoma board of cosmetology has seen herpes cases sprout up in Midwest states - many directly associated with getting your eyebrows waxed at a location with poor sanitary conditions. The herpes virus can be transferred by using the same warmed wax on an infected customer as with others. Be wary of what spa you choose to have this service done at, ensure that all proper sanitary practices are carried out or your eyes may be at risk.
Research presented by Dr. Stella Daskalopoulou at the Canadian Cardiovascular Congress 2009 shows that smoking just one cigarette increases stiffness of the arteries in 18 - 30 year olds by 25%. Young Canadian adults in their early 20s have the highest smoking rate in the country. Now imagine – knowing that just 5-6 cigarettes has a significant negative affect your arteries – what even recreational smoking does to the heart. "We know that over 90 per cent of teenagers who smoke as few as three to four cigarettes a day may be trapped into a lifelong habit of regular smoking, which typically lasts 35 to 40 years."
It’s unfortunate how addictive cigarettes are, thus making it very difficult to quit. I hope soon we find a medication or procedure that’s very effective at helping people quit smoking.
"Health care is a national problem and what a lot of people don't know is that South Florida is ground zero," said Omar Perez, Special Agent for the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General's Office of Inspections.
"It's where (Medicare fraud) is developed, where it's tested, and once it's proven shipped out to other parts of the country," said Perez.
Just about every discussion of obesity and health care begins with same purported fact: The diseases associated with excess weight are impoverishing the nation with $147 billion in unnecessary medical bills every year. In my last column ("Give Us Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Big Fat Asses …"), I argued that obesity can also make us poor individually, since fat people face rampant discrimination on the job and marriage markets.
A recent paper from Yale's Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity hints at the scope of this anti-fat prejudice. We know, for example, that if you're fat, you make less money. Lots of studies have shown how body size plays out in the working world: According to one, women who are two standard deviations (or 64 pounds) overweight suffer a wage penalty of 9 percent (PDF); another found that severely obese white women lose out on one-quarter of their potential income. There's also evidence that obese women are less likely to attend college or maintain romantic relationships, even controlling for socioeconomic background. (One survey found that a few extra pounds could reduce a woman's chance of getting married by 20 percent.)
Even limited exposure to secondhand smoke can increase the odds of heart attacks in people who have heart disease or are at risk, an expert panel report commissioned by the CDC confirms.
Another major finding by the panel: Smoking bans work.
“The report confirms that eliminating smoking in workplaces, restaurants, bars, and other public places is an effective way to protect Americans from the health effects of secondhand smoke, particularly on the cardiovascular system,” CDC Director Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH, says in a news release.
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) panel reviewed the research examining the impact of smoking bans on cardiovascular risk and the relationship between secondhand smoke and heart disease.
Panel members discussed their findings in a news conference, telling reporters that no single study was without its flaws but taken as a whole the research shows that secondhand smoke can cause heart attacks.
Laboratory studies show that even minimal exposure to secondhand smoke can increase blood clotting and constrict blood vessels, two major risk factors for heart attacks.
Good commentary on why insurance companies are greedy bastards and are basically making arguments for problems that could be solved through socialized medicine. The article does not state anything most of us do not already know however it an interesting read nonetheless.
Many people take vitamins or purchase food products packed full of antioxidant vitamins to help get rid of unwanted toxins. Well, maybe you shouldn’t. A new study shows that in the when it comes to diabetes, free radicals can be good for you and antioxidants might make things worse. This is because free radical are also necessary for cells to communicate through the facilitation of muscle cells that respond to insulin. In the study mice that were unable to get rid of their free radicals actually did well on a high-fat diet, and it’s only when they’re given antioxidants that they got diabetes.
Fox News recently ran a story about the H1N1 vaccine. To better inform the public Fox brought in an alleged infectious disease expert named Dr. Kent Holtorf. Kent proceeded to tell Americans that the vaccine is more deadly then the virus itself and that basically vaccines cause autism. Kent's entire logic and understanding of the vaccines was unsupported by any actual science out there. Worse, Kent Holtorf who is actually an expert of anti-aging procedures has no credibility to be discussing disease, autism, or vaccines. His only credential is running a clinic that scares people into believing that hormone treatments are dangerous and encourages them to opt for an alternative treatment, which (big shocker), they can only get at Kent's clinic who specially design it. - Another endless example of what a piece of shit Fox News is for having this guy come in to misinform the American people.
They are not only airing bullshit as news but there doing at the cost of people's lives. My grandfather, like many WASP's, watches Fox news religiously and now believes that the vaccine is dangerous. I love my grandfather more then anything and the thought of him not getting the vaccines in his current medical state because of these assholes on Fox News is enraging. I believe that these people on Fox News and these fucking bullshit doctors who are trying to scare people using pseudoscience should be charged with genocide.
Heavy drinkers outlive non drinkers. 
Campaign to fight demands for sexual services by patients who claim it should be part of their standard care.
That wasn't so hard was it? 
A dozen years ago, a British physician named Dr. Andrew Wakefield published a paper in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet that did immeasurable harm to children.
Evolutionary theory has allowed science to now have the means to branch together ideas that unifies all of the fields of naturalism into a single discipline. While you do not need evolution to understand how the stomach absorbs food, you can't explain why the intestines are so good at it, without evolution. In spite of this evolutionary medicine did not get started into the 80's and early 90's and only within the last 10 years has evolutionary perspective really helped to reduce suffering and risk of death.
From the article: "team of microbiologists from Hollins University found that 48% of sodas tested from the fast food fountains contain coliform bacteria, which is typically fecal in origin. And most bacteria found were antibiotic resistant, as icing on the cake." 
A recent study by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) & John Hopkins University has found that circumcision dramatically changes the bacterial communities of the penis, substantially lowering the risk of HIV in men. Circumcised males who have dramatically altered their bacterial pools are argued to be less likely to cause bacterial infections in their female partners. 
A study in the Jan. 1 issue of the journal Sleep found that adolescents with bedtimes that were set earlier by parents were significantly less likely to suffer from depression and to think about committing suicide, suggesting that earlier bedtimes could have a protective effect by lengthening sleep duration and increasing the likelihood of getting enough sleep.
In a televised speech, Hugo Chavez suggested that Venezuelans do sit-ups and eat right in order to trim their waistlines. 
