WHO Panel Cites 'Possible' Brain Cancer Risk from Cell Phone Use

By Zulima Palacio
Resource: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/health/WHO-Panel-Cites-Possible-Brain-Cancer-Risk-from-Cell-Phone-Use-122907289.html

A scientific report released Tuesday by the World Health Organization concludes radio frequencies and electromagnetic fields - including those routinely emitted by mobile phones - are "possibly" carcinogenic to humans.

The World Health Organization and its subsidiary investigative panel, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, stated today what many scientific studies have been suggesting for decades: that there is a possible connection between mobile phone use and malignant brain tumors. Dr. Jonathan Samet, who heads IARC's Working Group of 31 international scientists from 14 countries, made the announcement at the conclusion of the group's week-long meeting in Lyon, France.

“The working group classifies the radio and electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans; that is within the classification used by the International Agency for Research on Cancer," he said.

The group advised that, because five billion people around the world currently use mobile phones, therefore, much further research in the subject is needed. The report places at most risk those with the greatest use of cell phones and exposure to other sources of radiation. ”We also carefully consider the sources of exposure of populations to radio frequency electromagnetic fields, the nature of these fields as they come from various devises, including wireless phones, and we look carefully at the physical phenomenon by which exposure to such fields may perturb biological systems and lead to cancers," he said.

The IARC working group had gathered in France for the past eight days, reviewing all previous studies done on electromagnetic radiation's effects on humans and animals over the past decade.

Health advocacy groups that have been warning of possible cell phone-cancer links are praising the WHO pronouncement.

Camilla Rees, the founder of a U.S. based group called Electromagnetic Health, says she is pleased but said much more needs to be done. ”They focused on brain cancer, and brain cancer includes a relatively small number of people. But we only have had this technology for about 15 years and most carcinogens will take several decades before they develop into a cancer. Early indicators from scientists are projecting a tsunami of brain cancer unless we do something to educate people to lower their exposure," she said.

Rees says there are many other health effects of radiation, including damage to human cell tissue, that the World Health Organization has yet to recognize. But for now, she believes the most urgent need is to begin a campaign to protect children from the effects of electromagnetic fields, and in particular, from cell phones.

Bee Pollen as a Whole Food Supplement

Whole food supplements are another form of nutritional supplements. And then again, another form of nutrient in a pill, drug, or juice form. But, what are whole food supplements anyway? Whole food supplements are “whole food” diet taken into a different concise form, like a pill for example. So, is there any difference from this whole food supplement compared to the other nutritional supplements like multi-vitamins and the rest? Taken into account, multi-vitamins for example, this type of nutritional supplement is what can be called as an “isolated compound” nutritional supplement. This type of supplement has all the vitamins like vitamins from A to Zinc, and crammed up in a concentrated pill or drug even. The reason why it is called “isolated compound” is because each of the given vitamins and minerals in it are actually isolated to one another, they do not function as a single group like a whole food supplement does. It has many vitamins that your body might or might not need. For instance, vitamin C, your body needs a huge amount of vitamin C to protect your body from illnesses, but for the other vitamins like A and B, the body can only use a considerable amount of it. Vitamins and minerals that are not used by the body is just going to be flushed out and considered wasted.

There are a number of whole food supplements in the market that are safe, available, and at the same time greatly contribute to the body’s proper nutrition and function. One of those whole food supplements that are highly advisable is the bee pollen supplement.

Bee Pollen is an energy source whole food supplement that promotes vitality and endurance, including fast recovery from illnesses. It also greatly help in intestinal functioning, prevents infection, subdue depression, normalize cholesterol levels, help children from developmental problems, and also prevent and treat cancer. Bee pollen also has more protein than any source from any animal and contains more free-form amino acids compare to eggs, cheese or beef. It also has vitamins C, D, K, and complete vitamin E complex. Bee pollen also contains a high percentage of carotenoids, including lycopene and beta carotene that the body converts to becoming vitamin A. Each ounce of bee pollen has 15% of lecithin, 25% pure protein, 7 grams of carbohydrates and 28 calories. These are just more than a half benefit of what people can benefit from bee pollen, and other than this, there are other whole food supplements, like Nuriche out in the market that are very beneficial to a person’s body.

Getting the Right Natural Supplements for Kids

We all know what the kids are like when they are still young, so fragile and exposed to all the influences of the outer world. From the moment they are born, we need to provide them with the immune support they need in order to keep they grow and develop normally. There are many natural immune boosters child can take advantage from, such as breast milk and fresh fruits and vegetables, as well as proteins from meat, but what about the natural supplements just like whole food supplements? Many parents are afraid that their kids are too young for some additional supplements, but it’s better to protect them on time.

It is important to give your child all that’s necessary from the very beginning. It doesn’t have to mean that have to give them the artificial immune boosters. Luckily, there are many natural supplements such as fruit and vegetable supplements today that are created for kids only, which mean that they have enough of the vitamins and minerals, so you wouldn’t have to worry about your kid getting sick all the time with these nutritional supplements such as Nuriche. Also, parents feed their children the best way they can, but sometimes it’s impossible to get all the calcium and magnesium for example, to get their teeth, bones and muscles grow healthy.

There are so many things that kids need daily, such as: Vitamin C that fights infections, Pro Vitamin A that protects kids from environmental pollutants, Vitamin E that protects against cellular damage, Iron that can make sure that your kid will get strong, Selenium as an antioxidant and Omega-3 fatty acid that helps with many behavioral disorders and increases concentration.

Among all the immune support, it is always better to get your children used to natural things and remedies. Firstly, they can provide your kid with the more health than any other chemical you buy and secondly, it is more likely that it won’t cause any allergies, and we all know how sensitive the kids are.

Just don’t think that you can give you kid anything you want, especially not the supplements that you take daily. The kids do need some vitamins and minerals more that grown-ups, but the others may harm them seriously. The best thing that could happen to the human race is getting back to basics and all the things that nature is willing to give. The fact that hundreds years ago, when there were no chemistry, children very immune to anything and generally more healthy, is a reason enough to go follow the nature.

Latimes News: Smallpox destruction put off for three years -- minimum

Those last vials of smallpox, tucked away by the U.S. and Russia and due for destruction, have won at least another three years in existence -- suggesting other countries concur with the U.S. about their value, one leading health official said.

Delegates at the annual meeting of the World Health Organization agreed on Tuesday to wait until 2014 to decide on a firm deadline for the final destruction of the lethal virus, Reuters reports.
The World Health Organization has called for the destruction of such stockpiles since the disease was declared eradicated in 1980. The U.S., meanwhile, has argued that researchers need time to develop safe vaccines and antivirals in case other sources of smallpox are discovered.

The latest decision indicates that other countries agree with the U.S. position, says Nils Daulaire, director of the Office of Global Health Affairs at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“In the past, assemblies have called for immediate destruction or for setting a date for destruction. The tenor of the debate really was much more oriented toward the recognition it would be time for us to have countermeasures,” said Daulaire in a phone interview.

Such countermeasures include new, safer vaccines. The smallpox vaccine that eradicated smallpox during the 20th century was not much more sophisticated than the original 1796 vaccine by Edward Jenner, says Daulaire. Those vaccines contained a live virus, which carries life-threatening risks for people with compromised immune systems, such as those with HIV/AIDS or cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Newer vaccines without a live virus are being developed, Daulaire said, and must be safety tested like any other vaccine.

In addition to vaccines, two or possibly three antivirals that could treat people infected with smallpox would be necessary in case of an outbreak, Daulaire said. One such antiviral, currently known as ST-246, is being developed under a 5-year contract awarded in May by Health and Human Services.

Daulaire says he believes the virus will eventually be destroyed, but he wouldn’t speculate about what deadline the WHO might set in 2014.

“We’ve urged that the deadline not be set on the basis on a certain number of years, but based on when the science is at the point that there’s no need for stocks of smallpox,” Daulaire said.

Source from: http://www.latimes.com/health/boostershots/la-heb-smallpox-delay-20110524,0,7084924.story

Immune System Supplements for Kids

The immune system we come to possess as adults, is basically dependent on the immunity that we have as children and how well developed it is that young age. It is essential for parents to give their children a healthy lifestyle that helps them develop a solid immune system in order to help them maintain their health even through their teenage and adulthood. The essential nutrition and support that they get at the earlier stage of their lives continues to form a healthy foundation for them. In the years to come this foundation is what defines their overall health.

For maintaining a strong immune system, it is important to give your kids the right kind of nourishment that will help their immunity to grow. In this regard, immune system supplements that are especially made for kids have a very important role to play since they boost their immunity significantly. These combined with the essential nutritional supplements help your children to gain strength and helps in their growth. Moreover they should also make sure that their kids do not become dependent on digestive enzyme supplements and therefore should be given the vital supplements.

In order to help your children develop a good immune support, you need to give them supplements that contain these nutrients:

- Calcium – With children perpetually in a growing phase, it is important to make sure that they richly consume calcium. Not only do they need it to fortify their bones but calcium also makes sure that they are safe from a lot of diseases. Moreover, it helps in strengthening their muscles as well as increasing their brain power.
- Vitamins – Vitamins such as Vitamin A and C are essential for children as they help in giving them protection against various ailments. Vitamin A is very good eyes and helps protecting the eyes from any infections or damage. It also helps in the development of healthy skin and the mucous membrane. It is also known to protect children against the occurrence of measles and diarrhea.
Vitamin C, on the other hand, helps in safeguarding against cold and flu. It also helps in decreasing the iron deficiency by allowing greater iron absorption. Moreover it provides them protection from damages due to the sunrays.
- Omega-3 – Omega-3 has been found to increase the activity of the brain and expands their mental capabilities. They also help in developing the bones, muscles and joints of the children.
- Protein – In order to ensure children’s proper growth, it is essential to give them energy supplements rich in high protein. Protein supplement based on animal protein helps in strengthening the red blood cells as well the brain function of children. Vegetable proteins supplements helps in improving their digestion and thus they don’t need to take digestive enzyme supplements.

3 Types of Energy Drinks for Cyclers

If you thought that all of the energy drinks are the same, well you are wrong. Some of them are created especially for some sport activities, and they should give all the best in order to get the performance to the maximum. These are the real deal, just like the energy supplements and all other energy boosters, so think carefully before you buy any of those. If you are cycler and need something to keep you going and keep your body hydrated, as well here are some best types to consider:

• Firstly, you are going to need the drink that has a lot of glucose in it, if you want to stay on your feet and don’t want to get dizzy. There are also many natural health products that have a lot of sugar in it, but no matter bad it looks, a lot of sugar in your energy drink is exactly what you need. You can even bring some fruit and other food that can provide your body with sugar, anytime.

• The vitamins are the “must”, especially the Vitamin B6 which helps making the muscles out of red blood cells and oxygen, Vitamin E which increases the endurance capabilities, Vitamin C which prevents from cold and infections, also prevents the cell damage and Vitamin B1 which is the most important when it comes to converting carbohydrates into energy.

• Very important in energy drinks is sodium. It is the mineral that can prevent the low blood sodium concentration. It is also said that this mineral increases the endurance of the cycling. On the other side, it won’t do any good if you are not drinking enough pure water along the way, so what actually counts is the perfect combination.

Most of the drinks that are created to boost up the energy have all three of the previous characteristics, but if you could find just one, it will be great, as well. The power drinks, unlike the energy supplements have become some kind of a habit today, which can have good and bad sides, as well. If we are thinking about the natural health products like Nuriche as some kind of help of any sport activity, there is more to gain than to lose. It is hard to categorize the drinks that are made especially for cyclers since most of them today are universal and try to fulfill all the needs of the body, no matter what kind of sport you prefer.

CBC News：Obesity: How do you maintain a healthy body weight?

Obesity could be socially contagious, say researchers who are trying to understand how it spreads among family and friends.

In this week's online issue of the American Journal of Public Health, U.S. researchers explore ideas on whether people hang around with others of similar body shapes because they think alike, or how family members exercise together or turn down dessert because it was expected of them.

Alex Brewis, a biological anthropologist at Arizona State University, says the findings suggest it's what people do together, rather than how they think like one another, that explains why friends tend to gain and lose weight together

Source from http://www.cbc.ca/news/yourcommunity/2011/05/obesity-how-do-you-maintain-a-healthy-body-weight.html

Why You Need Immune System Supplement

Have you ever thought about the constant work your immune system has to do in order to keep your body’s health intact? If you are in perfect health, chances are that you have not thought about this and are probably not even doing anything to make sure that your immune system works fine. As humans, we need to understand the fact that our bodies are subject to vulnerability. However, what makes it strong is the defense mechanism that it has in the form of an immune system. If it weren’t for the immune system, human bodies would have been reduced to nothing due to the contaminants around us.

Although it is not visible, our immune system is always on the run and once it fails, the repercussions are all too visible through our physical state. Understanding the fact that our immune system does so much for us, there is something that we should do for it too. And that is providing it the support that it needs to function well. This is where the role of the immune system supplements comes to be recognized because through these supplements, our immune system gets a definite boost and vitality. With every single day, we encounter numerous pollutants, toxins, allergens and other contaminants in our environment and even the food that we eat. What keeps us going is the immunity we acquire through the different sources of immune support available to us.

However, if these environmental hazards end up pushing through and entering our immune system, they will not only end up suppressing it, but will also make it vulnerable to further damage. In an indirect way, the immune system can be strengthened by taking nutritional supplements and fruit and vegetable supplements but through immune system supplements, it gets the nourishment. Moreover, the immune system does not only help in preventing the disease or ailment, it also helps in its treatment. Right from the major diseases like cancer and Hepatitis to the minor throat infections, these supplements provide the support that our immune system needs. Enhancing the immune system’s ability to make the body recover from these ailments, the supplements for immune system are quite necessary for us to protect ourselves from health issues.

Another thing that our immune system plays a very important role in is the healing of different injuries and wounds. No matter whether the injury sustained is a minor fracture or a big gash, once the immune system supplements set the immunity to maximum, the body heals in minimum time. What is, however, important to remember is that these supplements or even digestive enzyme supplements and nutritional supplements are not supposed to be taken separately. They are taken in combination with the proper diet and by also making an individual effort to make sure that you remain protected from diseases.

Nutritional Supplements You Need

Maintaining good health does not take much as long as people take care of their diet and nutrition. However, often times, this the area where most of us are found lacking because we are not aware which food items are beneficial for us and what nutritional value they carry. This why unknowingly, a lot of people end up overeating without realizing the damage they are doing to their health with the extra food. While nutrition can easily be acquired by maintaining a proper diet, you can fulfill the areas where you are deficient by consuming the right supplements for nutrition.

Much like the immune system supplements fortify the immune system and the digestive enzyme supplements improve digestion, the nutritional supplements fulfill our body’s nutritional demands. However they offer more than the immune system supplements and digestive enzyme supplements because without nutrition itself, none of these systems would work. Proper nutrition keeps us alive and makes our bodily functions to be performed in a much better way. This is why health experts suggest taking these supplements and making them a part of our daily diet. Some of the most essential supplements for nutrition that have been highlighted by dietary experts are as follows:

- Vitamin B12 – Regarded as one of the most essential supplements for providing nutrition to the body, Vitamin B12 helps in boosting the body’s immunity. It also plays a pivotal role in relieving the mind of stress of any kind, thus greatly increasing the body’s immunity. Researchers have found that up to 30 percent of grownups above the age of 30 might not have the ability to acquire this vitamin from food. This is why it is recommended that such people should consume Vitamin B12 through supplements. Moreover, the studies suggest that every adult over the age of 50 should consume Vitamin B12 since it helps in immaculate brain function even in old age.

- Vitamin D – While Vitamin D can easily be acquired from sunlight during summers, the colder regions still cannot avail that opportunity. Therefore, experts suggest that people living in colder climates should take nutritional supplements filled with Vitamin D during the winter season. Vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium into the bones and without it, people might be at a risk of calcium deficiency.

- Calcium – Right from children to adults, calcium is one of those nutrients that are essential for every person at every stage of life. Studies suggest that at an average, adults in US do even consume half the amount of calcium they need every day. The problem arises especially due to the protein enriched foods and greater levels of caffeine in the body that cause calcium depletion. To help the body sustain through it, it is recommended for most of these adults to take nutritional supplements and whole food supplements containing calcium daily.

Low-Salt Diet Ineffective, Study Finds. Disagreement Abounds

By GINA KOLATA
Published: May 3, 2011
Resource: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/04/health/research/04salt.html?ref=health

A new study found that low-salt diets increase the risk of death from heart attacks and strokes and do not prevent high blood pressure, but the research’s limitations mean the debate over the effects of salt in the diet is far from over.

In fact, officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention felt so strongly that the study was flawed that they criticized it in an interview, something they normally do not do.

Dr. Peter Briss, a medical director at the centers, said that the study was small; that its subjects were relatively young, with an average age of 40 at the start; and that with few cardiovascular events, it was hard to draw conclusions. And the study, Dr. Briss and others say, flies in the face of a body of evidence indicating that higher sodium consumption can increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.

“At the moment, this study might need to be taken with a grain of salt,” he said.

The study is published in the May 4 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association. It involved only those without high blood pressure at the start, was observational, considered at best suggestive and not conclusive. It included 3,681 middle-aged Europeans who did not have high blood pressure or cardiovascular disease and followed them for an average of 7.9 years.

The researchers assessed the participants’ sodium consumption at the study’s start and at its conclusion by measuring the amount of sodium excreted in urine over a 24-hour period. All the sodium that is consumed is excreted in urine within a day, so this method is the most precise way to determine sodium consumption.

The investigators found that the less salt people ate, the more likely they were to die of heart disease — 50 people in the lowest third of salt consumption (2.5 grams of sodium per day) died during the study as compared with 24 in the medium group (3.9 grams of sodium per day) and 10 in the highest salt consumption group (6.0 grams of sodium per day). And while those eating the most salt had, on average, a slight increase in systolic blood pressure — a 1.71-millimeter increase in pressure for each 2.5-gram increase in sodium per day — they were no more likely to develop hypertension.

“If the goal is to prevent hypertension” with lower sodium consumption, said the lead author, Dr. Jan A. Staessen, a professor of medicine at the University of Leuven, in Belgium, “this study shows it does not work.”

But among the study’s other problems, Dr. Briss said, its subjects who seemed to consume the smallest amount of sodium also provided less urine than those consuming more, an indication that they might not have collected all of their urine in an 24-hour period.

Dr. Frank Sacks of the Harvard School of Public Health agreed and also said the study was flawed.

“It’s a problematic study,” Dr. Sacks said. “We shouldn’t be guiding any kind of public health decisions on it.”

Dr. Michael Alderman, a blood pressure researcher at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and editor of the American Journal of Hypertension, said medical literature on salt and health effects was inconsistent. But, Dr. Alderman said, the new study is not the only one to find adverse effects of low-sodium diets. His own study, with people who had high blood pressure, found that those who ate the least salt were most likely to die.

Dr. Alderman said that he once was an unpaid consultant for the Salt Institute but that he now did no consulting for it or for the food industry and did not receive any support or take any money from industry groups.

Lowering salt consumption, Dr. Alderman said, has consequences beyond blood pressure. It also, for example, increases insulin resistance, which can increase the risk of heart disease.

“Diet is a complicated business,” he said. “There are going to be unintended consequences.”

One problem with the salt debates, Dr. Alderman said, is that all the studies are inadequate. Either they are short-term intervention studies in which people are given huge amounts of salt and then deprived of salt to see effects on blood pressure or they are studies, like this one, that observe populations and ask if those who happen to consume less salt are healthier.

“Observational studies tell you what people will experience if they select a diet,” Dr. Alderman said. “They do not tell you what will happen if you change peoples’ sodium intake.”

What is needed, Dr. Alderman said, is a large study in which people are randomly assigned to follow a low-sodium diet or not and followed for years to see if eating less salt improves health and reduces the death rate from cardiovascular disease.

But that study, others say, will never happen.

“This is one of those really interesting situations,” said Dr. Lawrence Appel, a professor of medicine, epidemiology and international health at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. “You can say, ‘O.K., let’s dismiss the observational studies because they have all these problems.’ ” But, he said, despite the virtues of a randomized controlled clinical trial, such a study “will never ever be done.” It would be impossible to keep people on a low-sodium diet for years with so much sodium added to prepared foods.

Dr. Briss adds that it would not be prudent to defer public health actions while researchers wait for results of a clinical trial that might not even be feasible.

Dr. Alderman disagrees.

“The low-salt advocates suggest that all 300 million Americans be subjected to a low-salt diet. But if they can’t get people on a low-salt diet for a clinical trial, what are they talking about?”

He added: “It will cost money, but that’s why we do science. It will also cost money to change the composition of food.”

Maximizing Your Use of Energy Drinks

Don’t think that the energy drink is just another type more juice, too much sweet though, that has gained the popularity because of some commercials. You can really get the use of it, and exactly when you need it the most. The energy drinks are popular, there is no doubt about it, there are more things behind that make them survive on the market for such a long time.

• The first and the most important advantage of energy drinks is that can give you more energy than you can expect. They can give you the same benefits as if you were taking the regular energy supplements. You can exercise, study or work longer than usual and feel great after that.

• The most of those drinks contain other ingredients apart from energy boosters. There are many vitamins and minerals in them that can make sure that your body gets all that it needs.

• The weight seems to be the biggest problem nowadays, and since most of the diets decrease or completely exclude using of the carbohydrates, most of the people need another, also natural way to get the energy. That’s another reason why those drinks are so important, and after all, you can find them today as natural health products, and be sure of their quality.

• You can find different products on the market today, and each ingredient has its own benefit. Caffeine is the energy booster, the taurine takes care that your heart beat stays normal, creatine is one of the muscle builders, L-carnitine makes the energy out of food and the Vitamin C is very powerful antioxidant. There are much more important things that these drinks include, and all of them make the remarkable combination.

• These can be the real natural health products since you can also make them on your own. Jjust by mixing caffeine with some vitamins and proteins, you can make the unique combination, also know exactly what’s in it.

Just like the energy supplements, these powerful drinks have also their downsides, so they should not be taken all the time and without knowing their side effects. Only because they can be found in every store it doesn’t mean that they are all healthy and harmless. If you only think of the fact that there are thousands of products like this on the market, it’s normally to realize that they can’t all be efficient and good for you.