Nasty "superbugs" and other pathogens can pop up in the strangest places.
Those recyclable grocery bags may be green—but they're not clean, finds University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, PhD, who recently tested reusable bags from shoppers in his state and California. More than half the bags tested contained coliform bacteria, including E. coli.
Public Enemy #1 for nearly 20 years, E. coli is increasingly found in meat and produce, as well as the water supply. This is a scary superbug, causing bloody diarrhea and potentially fatal kidney failure.
While public health officials and… Continue reading Categories
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Archive for July, 2010
10 Ways to Fight Food Poisoning
July 30th, 2010Nasty "superbugs" and other pathogens can pop up in the strangest places.
Those recyclable grocery bags may be green—but they're not clean, finds University of Arizona microbiologist Charles Gerba, PhD, who recently tested reusable bags from shoppers in his state and California. More than half the bags tested contained coliform bacteria, including E. coli.
Public Enemy #1 for nearly 20 years, E. coli is increasingly found in meat and produce, as well as the water supply. This is a scary superbug, causing bloody diarrhea and potentially fatal kidney failure.
While public health officials and… Continue reading Are Diabetes and Cancer Linked?
July 28th, 2010
Balance blood sugar and foster friendly bacteria to protect your health.
Most people realize that Type 2 diabetes is an underlying factor in heart disease. But did you know that scientists are increasingly finding an association between diabetes and cancer?
New evidence presented at an American Diabetes Association/American Cancer Society conference linked diabetes with cancers of the breast, colon, liver, pancreas, bladder, and rectum. "Traditionally, there hasn't been much overlap between research in cancer and diabetes," says Edward Giovannuci, MD, ScD, co-chair of this consensus report group. "But recently it's become clearer that there… Continue reading Smog Alert for Hottest Summer on Record
July 26th, 2010
CLA may ease breathing problems in asthma.
2010 is turning out to be the warmest year ever recorded, raising lung-damaging ozone levels. And research suggests that climate changes will only worsen smog in the future—making life tougher for anyone with breathing problems.
Coupled with other pollutants in smog, ozone causes airway inflammation common in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or emphysema. Summer pollen—particularly grass—only increases the risk for asthma attacks, a new study in the Primary Case Respiratory Journal shows.
Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, scientists also link… Continue reading Some Surprising Causes of Autism
July 23rd, 2010
Environmental factors—including EMFs and mercury—may put children at risk.
A quarter century ago, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were extremely rare—only 1 out 100,000 children. Today experts estimate that 2 to 6 kids out of 1,000 will have autism. And boys are four times more likely to develop ASD than girls.
This incredible jump in autism rates has led scientists to explore environmental factors, especially in utero. Mercury—in contaminated seafood as well as vaccines—and other heavy metals (like cadmium and nickel) are prime suspects. Other likely culprits include toxic biofilms, molds, infections like Lyme disease… Continue reading Say What?
July 21st, 2010
Hearing loss increasingly impacts young people.
Approximately 36 million adults and half a million children in the United States have trouble hearing. And according to the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), 26 million Americans between the ages of 20 and 69 have hearing loss caused by loud noises.
Everything from loud toys and video games in childhood, iPods and rock concerts in adolescence, workplace noise and recreational choices—ranging from the club scene to hunting or riding a motorcycle—in adulthood can cause irreversible hearing loss.
Just going to a noisy sporting event—think… Continue reading Need to Shake Your Salt Habit?
July 19th, 2010
90% of Americans get too much sodium.
Humans need only a teaspoon of salt a day. Yet most Americans ingest far more. "This is not good news," says Janelle Peralez Gunn, author of a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
This CDC survey of close to 4,000 Americans 20 and older finds that participants consume more salt than is advisable. And those who most need to restrict sodium intake—people who have high blood pressure and anyone over 40—were getting twice as much as needed. In addition to the Institute of Medicine's… Continue reading Have a Safe Summer Whatever You Do
July 16th, 2010
Whether you're wilderness backpacking or planning a day trip with the kids, prevent potential health problems before they begin.
This should be the season to relax in a hammock, get away from it all in the great north woods, or cool off in a crystal clear mountain lake. But as idyllic as all that sounds, dangers lurk in even the most innocent summer outings.
What could be safer than bird watching? Actually, those feathered friends carry the same Lyme disease ticks that deer do, recent Canadian research finds. And swimming in a tranquil lake… Continue reading Is Your Office Making You Sick?
July 14th, 2010
How to heal sick building syndrome.
Sick building syndrome (SBS) and the growing prevalence of WiFi and mobile phones are creating long-term health risks that are much more difficult to define—let alone diagnose. With symptoms ranging from dry cough and eye, nose, skin or throat irritation to dizziness, fatigue, headaches, and nausea caused by biological contaminants (like bacteria and molds), toxins from asbestos, carbon monoxide, cleaning agents, and radiation in the workplace, researchers conclude "more focus is needed on the indoor environment" to prevent SBS.
A study at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California… Continue reading Secret Weapons Against Painful, Swollen Joints
July 12th, 2010
Gut bacteria appear to play a role in rheumatoid arthritis.
One of the most painful and commonest kinds of arthritis—rheumatoid—is suddenly on the rise among American women, researchers at the Mayo Clinic find. Unlike the "wear and tear" joint pain of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune condition, in which the immune system attacks itself.
Rheumatoid arthritis usually starts around 40 to 50 years of age. Women are 3 times more likely to develop the pain and swelling that mark this condition than men.
Interesting new research in both animals and humans, however, points to… Continue reading The Truth About Sunscreen
July 9th, 2010
Growing evidence points to possible links between chemicals in these products and skin cancer.
With temperatures rising, it's beach—and sunscreen—season. But do you know what you're slavering on your skin?
In June, Senator Charles Schumer asked the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to look into recent reports linking retinyl palmitate—commonly used in sunscreen products—with skin cancer. "People are soaking up the sun, and the FDA needs to immediately provide guidance and reassurance to consumers," he says.
The FDA is, indeed, taking its time reviewing sunscreen products—the agency started looking into them 32 years ago, to… Continue reading 
Visionary, health guru, diet/detox expert, author, spokesperson, role model, and natural foods icon, Ann Louise Gittleman has always been a trendsetter. 
