Monday March 9, 2009

In past 2 years, 87 million in US went uninsured

Last Updated: 2009-03-04 10:43:00 -0400 (Reuters Health)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A third of Americans under age 65 -- 86.7 million
people -- went without health insurance at some point during the past
two years, according to a report released on Wednesday.

The report from the advocacy group Families USA showed that the lack of
access to health insurance in the United States is more widespread than
government statistics suggest.

Reducing the number of uninsured is a key goal set by President Barack
Obama and congressional leaders as they plan an ambitious overhaul of
the U.S. healthcare system this year.

The report assessed how many people under age 65 went without either
public or private health insurance for some or all of the two-year
period covering 2007 and 2008. People 65 and older are covered by the
government's Medicare program.

Of 262 million Americans under 65, 33 percent were uninsured at some
point during those two years, according to the report. This included
60.1 million adults and 26.6 million children and teens up to age 18,
according to the report.

Among those uninsured, 75 percent had no coverage for at least six
months and 60 percent for at least nine months, according to the report
based on survey data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Agency for
Healthcare Research and Quality.

About 52 percent of individuals and families with incomes between the
official poverty line and twice the poverty line - $21,200 to $42,400 of
annual income for a family of four - were uninsured at some point during
2007 and 2008.

The government's most recent official estimate, based on Census Bureau
figures, put the number of uninsured at 45.7 million in 2007. But that
figure included only those who had no coverage for the entire year.

"There are a number of facets that are essential to healthcare reform -
bending the cost growth curve and improving quality, but expanding
coverage has got to be among the top objectives of healthcare reform,"
Ron Pollack, executive director of Families USA, said in a telephone
interview.

Most Americans get private health coverage through an employer, although
some buy private insurance on their own and others are eligible for
public programs.

But the cost of insurance prompts many to go without it, paying for
medical care out of their own pockets or putting it off altogether.

The White House on Thursday is set to host a healthcare summit with
lawmakers, health insurers and groups ranging from the drug industry to
employers.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/03/04/eline/links/20090304elin
012.html

Plavix, heartburn drugs combined raise heart risk

Last Updated: 2009-03-04 9:10:30 -0400 (Reuters Health)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - People who suffer a heart attack nearly double
the risk of having another if they are taking the widely used blood
thinner Plavix together with a heartburn drug like Prilosec, researchers
said on Tuesday.

Plavix, also known as clopidogrel and made by Sanofi-Aventis SA and
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co, and aspirin are often used to thin a patient's
blood after a heart attack.

Doctors also may prescribe a proton pump inhibitor, or PPI, such as
AstraZeneca Plc's heartburn drug Prilosec to cut the risk of
gastrointestinal bleeding from bloodthinners.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association
tracked 8,205 U.S. patients who were treated for a heart attack or chest
pain known as unstable angina and given Plavix and aspirin.

Two-thirds of these patients also took a PPI, primarily Prilosec, and
had almost double the risk of having another heart attack or bout of
unstable angina compared to those not taking a PPI, the researchers
said.

Dr. Michael Ho of the Denver VA Medical Center, who led the study, said
this drug combination may be responsible for thousands of repeat heart
attacks.

"Our study highlights a potential interaction between clopidogrel and
PPI medication. And it suggests that maybe PPI medication should not
just be prescribed routinely or prophylactically in patients who are on
aspirin and clopidogrel," Ho said in a telephone interview.

Some doctors urged caution regarding the findings.

"We have to be really careful with this study," said Dr. Kirk Garratt of
Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.

"If we stop prescribing PPIs for these patients, we will see more
bleeding complications. A big bleed for a patient with significant
coronary artery disease could easily prove fatal," Garratt said in a
statement.

Aluminum, silica in water affect Alzheimer's risk

Last Updated: 2009-03-04 14:06:31 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Higher levels of aluminum in drinking water
appear to increase people's risk of developing Alzheimer's disease,
whereas higher levels of silica appear to decrease the risk, according
to French investigators.

"Alzheimer's disease is a multifactorial disease, and aluminum
concentrations in drinking water may have an effect on cognitive decline
and Alzheimer's disease," Dr. Virginie Rondeau told Reuters Health.

The results of some studies suggest that silica reduces the oral
absorption of aluminum or increases the excretion of this metal.

Rondeau, at the Institut National de la Sante et de la Recherche
Medicale in Bordeaux, and her colleagues examined associations between
exposure to aluminum or silica from drinking water and the risk of
cognitive decline, dementia, and Alzheimer's disease among elderly
subjects followed for 15 years.

Daily aluminum intake of at least 0.1 milligram was associated with
greater cognitive decline during the course of the study, the team
reports in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Subjects with a high daily aluminum intake had a 2.26-fold increased
risk of dementia, the researchers note. On the other hand, for every 10
milligram-per-day intake of silica, the odds of developing dementia
dropped by 11 percent.

"Further studies are needed to settle the debate over the link between
aluminum or silica in drinking water and neurologic disorders and
cognitive impairment," the investigators conclude.

SOURCE: American Journal of Epidemiology, February 15, 2009.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/03/04/eline/links/20090304elin
024.html

Measles may protect kids against allergies

Last Updated: 2009-03-04 15:09:02 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Children who've been infected with measles
are less likely to develop allergies, a large study in Europe has
demonstrated.

The occurrence of allergic disorders has increased during past decades,
coinciding with reduced rates of many childhood infections and
increasing use of vaccinations, Helen Rosenlund, at the Karolinska
Institute in Stockholm, and colleagues note in the medical journal
Pediatrics.

However, previous studies looking for any link between allergies,
measles infection, and measles vaccination have produced positive,
negative and neutral results.

In the PARSIFAL study, researchers focused on children brought up in a
farming and "anthroposophic" lifestyle. They explain that an
anthroposophic lifestyle typically makes less use of antibiotics,
medication to treat fevers, and vaccinations; it also involves high
consumption of "biodynamic" foods.

The study included 12,540 children 5 to 13 years of age. According to
the investigators, questionnaire responses indicated that 73 percent of
children were vaccinated against measles, 20 percent had been infected
with measles (including 11 percent of vaccinated children), and 14
percent had been neither vaccinated nor naturally infected.

Among the children who never had measles infection, those who had been
vaccinated were more likely to have nasal allergies, Rosenlund's group
observed.

Further analysis showed that allergies were less likely in children who
had had a bout of measles, but not in those who had been vaccinated
against measles.

SOURCE: Pediatrics, March 2009.

http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/2009/03/04/eline/links/20090304elin
026.html

Heart Hazards Of Woeful Wives

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2009) — Women in strained marriages are more
likely to feel depressed and suffer high blood pressure, obesity and
other signs of "metabolic syndrome," a group of risk factors for heart
disease, stroke and diabetes, University of Utah psychologists found.

The same study found men in strained marriages also are more likely to
feel depressed, yet – unlike women – do not face an increased risk of
metabolic syndrome, which is characterized by five symptoms:
hypertension, obesity around the waistline, high blood sugar, high
triglycerides and low levels of HDL, which is "good cholesterol."

"We hypothesized that negative aspects of marriages like arguing and
being angry would be associated with higher levels of metabolic
syndrome," says the study's first author, Nancy Henry, a doctoral
student in psychology. "We further anticipated that this relationship
would be at least partly due to depressive symptoms."

"In other words, those who reported experiencing more conflict,
hostility and disagreement with their spouses would more depressed,
which in turn would be associated with a higher risk of heart disease
due to metabolic syndrome," she adds

"We found this was true for wives in this study, but not for husbands,"
says Henry, who was scheduled to present the findings Thursday, March 5
in Chicago during the American Psychosomatic Society's annual meeting.

"The gender difference is important because heart disease is the
number-one killer of women as well as men, and we are still learning a
lot about how relationship factors and emotional distress are related to
heart disease," she says.

Putting Your Heart into Your Marriage

Does the study suggest women should avoid men to reduce heart disease
risks?

"We know they should," jokes Tim Smith, a psychology professor and study
co-author who heads a larger University of Utah study of the role of
marriage quality in heart disease. The new study is part of the larger
effort.

Smith, turning serious, says: "The reason you have to be careful about
'what does it mean?' is that this study is a simple, preliminary test of
what might be unhealthy about relationships for women."

"There is good evidence they [women] should modify some of the things
that affect metabolic syndrome – like diet and exercise – but it's a
little premature to say they would lower their risk of heart disease if
they improved the tone and quality of their marriages – or dumped their
husbands," he says.

Other data from the larger study indicate "that a history of divorce is
associated with coronary disease," he adds, noting the researchers are
pursuing the hypothesis that improving marriage might improve health.

"The immediate implication is that if you are interested in your
cardiovascular risk – and we all should be because it is the leading
killer for both genders – we should be concerned about not just
traditional risk factors [such as blood pressure and cholesterol] but
the quality of our emotional and family lives," Smith says.

In addition to possible health benefits, more immediate benefits include
"getting along better and enjoying each other more, improving your
mood," he says.

Some critics have questioned the concept and clinical usefulness of
metabolic syndrome – also known as syndrome X or insulin resistance
syndrome – and have asserted that it is nothing more than the sum of its
parts, namely, a group of five risk factors for heart disease, stroke
and diabetes.

"It is defined as a syndrome, but there still is controversy in the
medical community – what should be included, how the different factors
should be measured, whether all the factors hang together as a distinct
syndrome or are they just separate things," Henry says.

She says she chose to study metabolic syndrome because there is no
question its components are risk factors for cardiovascular disease and
because the syndrome was a possible explanation for how "psychosocial
risk factors" in marriage are related to cardiovascular disease.

"Strained marriages can increase your risk of heart disease, and that
may in part be because strained marriages increase the risk of metabolic
syndrome and thus heart disease," Smith says. "The reason strained
marriages might be related to metabolic syndrome is that strained
marriages can be depressing, and depression is then the link to
metabolic syndrome."

Smith says the endocrinology of depression's psychological stress may
explain why the five risk factors that comprise metabolic syndrome fit
together.

He hypothesizes that perhaps "the hormonal effects of stress are why you
are depositing fat [around the waist], why your insulin resistance goes
up, why your lipids and blood pressure get out of whack. Part of the
reason these things may be clumping together is because they are part of
an unhealthy body response to stress."

How the Study Was Performed

Henry and Smith conducted the new study with University of Utah
psychologists Jonathan Butner, an associate professor; Bert Uchino, a
professor; and Cynthia Berg, a professor and chair of the university's
Department of Psychology.

For their wider study, the psychologists used the Dan Jones & Associates
polling firm and newspaper ads during 2001-2005 to recruit 276 couples,
who were married an average of 20 years and from ages 40 to 70.

Each couple filled out several questionnaires for both the encompassing
study and for Henry's study. The questionnaires included 10 scales:
three to assess positive aspects of marriage quality, such as mutual
support, emotional warmth and friendliness, and confiding in each other;
three scales to measure negative aspects of marital quality such as
arguments, feelings of hostility and extent of disagreement over various
topics such as kids, sex, money and in-laws; and four scales to gauge
symptoms of depression (not necessarily full-blown clinical depression).

Each couple also went to a university clinic, where their waists and
blood pressure were measured and they were given lab tests for "good"
cholesterol, fasting glucose and triglycerides. Together, those data
determined if a study participant had metabolic syndrome. They also
underwent a screening test designed to exclude any couple that already
had cardiovascular disease.

The findings:

Women who reported more marital strain were more likely to also report
depressive symptoms, Henry says.

"Women who reported more marital strain had more metabolic syndrome
symptoms, and that association can be explained by the fact they also
reported more depressive symptoms," says Smith.

"Men in bad marriages also reported more depression, but neither marital
strain nor depression was related to their levels of metabolic
syndrome," he adds.

"We know from previous research that women are more sensitive and
responsive to relationship problems than men," Henry says. "The results
of this study suggest those problems could harm their health.
Understanding the emotional and relationship health of couples can be an
important overall factor in understanding physical health. Improving
aspects of intimate relationships might help your emotional and physical
well-being."

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090305080143.htm

Indoor Air Pollution? Samples From Couch Cushions And Drywall Reveal
Chemicals Used In House

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2009) — Most college students will admit to
searching their couch cushions for extra coins to do laundry. But Jon
McKinney's cushion hunt isn't about finding money. He wants to help
epidemiologists identify what's triggering diseases like asthma in
children, and he's got the backing of the Environmental Protection
Agency.

Working with Dr. Glenn Morrison, associate professor of environmental
engineering at Missouri University of Science and Technology, the junior
is developing the science behind “building forensics,” an emerging field
that lies at the outer edge of environmental engineering.

“Our goal is to identify what's happened inside a home based on the
'unique fingerprints' of the chemicals we find,” McKinney says.

The pair is using nondestructive techniques to take samples from couch
cushions, drywall and even concrete to identify the concentration of
chemicals that had been in the home. If successful, the technique would
make it easier for scientists to reliably identify the chemical causes
for many diseases.

The problem of indoor pollution has escalated in recent years as homes
have been made more energy efficient, reducing the amount of natural
ventilation and allowing a buildup of potentially harmful substances in
the air. Many researchers believe the air found inside people's homes
can be more hazardous to their health than the smog and other
environmental pollutants they are exposed to during outdoor activities.

“You can choose what water you drink. You can choose what you eat. But
you can't choose what air you breathe,” says McKinney, explaining his
interest in the field. “This work combines nature, ecology and chemistry
- all the things I like.”

The EPA estimates Americans spend roughly 90 percent of their time
indoors, and indoor air pollution - caused by sources ranging from
paints to cleaning solvents, personal care products to furnishings - has
been linked to a wide variety of adverse health effects. Children, the
elderly, and those with chronic ailments like chronic obstructive
pulmonary disease are particularly vulnerable, perhaps in part due to
their weaker immune systems and increased time spent indoors.

Many people don't realize the amount of chemicals they introduce into
their homes every day. For example, dry-cleaned clothes can emit
perchloroethylene, a chemical that has been shown to cause cancer in
animals. Studies indicate that people breathe low levels of this
chemical in homes where dry-cleaned goods are stored.

McKinney is currently establishing the “fingerprint” of chemicals in the
type of foam materials that are commonly present in furniture cushions.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303204545.htm

Human Emotions Hold Sway Over Physical Health Worldwide

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2009) — A researcher from the University of Kansas
has spearheaded a new investigation into the link between emotions and
health. The research proves that positive emotions are critical for
upkeep of physical health for people worldwide, above all for those who
are deeply impoverished.

The study, a joint undertaking between KU and Gallup, will be presented
March 4 at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic Society in
Chicago.

"We've known for a while now that emotions play a critical role in
physical health," said Sarah Pressman, assistant professor of psychology
at KU and a Gallup senior research associate. "But until recently, most
of this research was conducted only in industrialized countries. So we
couldn't know whether feelings like happiness or sadness matter to the
health of people who have more pressing concerns — like getting enough
to eat or finding shelter. But now we do."

Data from the Gallup World Poll drove the findings, with adults in more
than 140 countries providing a representative sample of 95 percent of
the world's population. The sample included more than 150,000 adults.

Participants reported emotions such as happiness, enjoyment, worry and
sadness. They described their physical health problems — such as pain
and fatigue — and answered questions about whether their most basic
needs like food, shelter and personal safety were adequately met.

According to Pressman, positive emotions unmistakably are linked to
better health, even when taking into account a lack of basic needs. The
inverse holds true as well: Negative emotions were a reliable predictor
of worse health.

Most strikingly, the association between emotion and physical health was
more powerful than the connection between health and basic human
physical requirements, like adequate nourishment. Even without shelter
or food, positive emotions were shown to boost health. Indeed, this
association was strongest in the poorest countries surveyed.

Thus, the link between emotional health and physical health looks to be
a worldwide fact, and especially so for people living with the fewest
creature comforts.

Depression Increases Risk For Heart Disease More Than Genetics Or
Environment

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2009) — A history of major depression increases
the risk of heart disease over and above any genetic risks common to
depression and heart disease, according to researchers at Washington
University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the VA. The findings are
reported this week at the annual meeting of the American Psychosomatic
Society this week in Chicago.

The researchers analyzed data gathered from more than 1,200 male twins
who served in the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. The men were
surveyed on a variety of health issues in 1992, including depression,
and were assessed again in 2005.

In the study, investigators looked at the onset of heart disease in
depressed study participants between 1993 and 2005. Men with depression
in 1992 were twice as likely to develop heart disease in the ensuing
years, compared to men with no history of depression.

"Based on our findings, we can say that after adjusting for other risk
factors, depression remains a significant predictor of heart disease,"
says first author Jeffrey F. Scherrer, Ph.D., research assistant
professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine and
the St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center. "In this study, we have
demonstrated that exposure to depression is contributing to heart
disease only in twins who have high genetic risk and who actually
develop clinical depression. In twins with high genetic risk common to
depression and heart disease, but who never develop depression itself,
there was no increased risk for heart disease. The findings strongly
suggest that depression itself independently contributes to risk for
heart disease."

The investigators were looking for evidence of what they call incident
heart disease, an event such as a heart attack, heart surgery, stent
placement or medical treatment for angina. Those who had evidence of
heart disease prior to the original survey in 1992 were excluded from
this study.

Because twins were studied, the researchers could divide participants
into risk groups: twins with high genetic and environmental risk for
depression, those with moderate risk and those with a low risk. The risk
groups then were compared for incident heart disease adjusting for other
influences on heart disease such as smoking, obesity, hypertension and
diabetes.

"By separating the twins into these groups based on their genetic and
environmental risks, we are able differentiate the genetic risks common
to depression and heart disease and the risks for heart disease from
exposure to depression," says co-investigator Hong Xian, Ph.D.,
associate professor of mathematics in medicine at Washington University
and health science specialist at the VA.

Twins automatically are matched by age. They normally grow up in the
same family environment, and in the case of identical twins, they share
identical DNA.

"If one twin has depression, but his twin brother does not, both twins
will share genetic vulnerability for depression, but it turns out the
twin who was not depressed has less risk for heart disease," says
Scherrer. "In sum, depression itself remains a significant contributor
to incident heart disease after controlling for genes, environment and
mental and physical risk factors."

Scherrer and Xian plan to follow these twins as they age. They also plan
to study the effects of successful depression treatment on heart disease
risk.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090304182113.htm

Two Food Additives Have Previously Unrecognized Estrogen-like Effects

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2009) — Scientists in Italy are reporting
development and successful use of a fast new method to identify food
additives that act as so-called "xenoestrogens" — substances with
estrogen-like effects that are stirring international health concerns.

They used the method in a large-scale screening of additives that
discovered two additives with previously unrecognized xenoestrogen
effects.

In the study, Pietro Cozzini and colleagues cite increasing concern
about identifying these substances and about the possible health
effects. Synthetic chemicals that mimic natural estrogens (called
"xenoestrogens," literally, "foreign estrogens") have been linked to a
range of human health effects. They range from reduced sperm counts in
men to an increased risk of breast cancer in women.

The scientists used the new method to search a food additive database of
1,500 substances, and verified that the method could identify
xenoestrogens. In the course of that work, they identified two previous
unrecognized xenoestrogens. One was propyl gallate, a preservative used
to prevent fats and oils from spoiling. The other was 4-hexylresorcinol,
used to prevent discoloration in shrimp and other shellfish. "Some
caution should be issued for the use of propyl gallate and
4-hexylresocrinol as food additives," they recommend in the study.

Alessio Amadasi et al. Identification of Xenoestrogens in Food Additives
by an Integrated in Silico and in Vitro Approach. Chemical Research in
Toxicology, 2009; 22 (1): 52 DOI: 10.1021/tx800048m
<http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/tx800048m>

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090302125924.htm

Two Or More Drinks A Day May Increase Pancreatic Cancer Risk

ScienceDaily (Mar. 5, 2009) — Men and women who consume two or more
alcoholic drinks a day could increase their risk of developing
pancreatic cancer, according to a study published in Cancer
Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the American
Association for Cancer Research.

Previous studies have been unable to confirm the association between
drinking and the risk of pancreatic cancer, but most studies depended on
a person's recall of alcohol intake. Still, many hypothesize about the
relationship between alcohol and pancreatic cancer because drinking is
associated with the risk of pancreatitis and diabetes, and both of these
conditions are known risk factors for developing the disease.

Unlike the previous studies, this current research pools data collected
prospectively from 14 research studies, which included 862,664
individuals (319,716 men and 542,948 women). Data collected
prospectively means information about dietary and environmental
exposures were collected prior to diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.
Researchers identified 2,187 individuals diagnosed with pancreatic
cancer during the study.

"This is one of the largest studies ever to look at dietary factors in
relation to pancreatic cancer risk," says lead author Jeanine M.
Genkinger, Ph.D., an assistant professor at Georgetown University's
Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

If individuals consumed 30 or more grams of alcohol per day
(approximately two drinks), compared with no alcohol per day, their risk
of pancreatic cancer was slightly increased, researchers said. A drink
is defined as 12 ounces of beer, four ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of
80-proof distilled liquor.

Although, there was no statistically significant difference between men
and women when comparing alcohol intake with risk of pancreatic cancer,
the association was seen in women at two or more drinks per day.
Comparatively, the researchers observed a higher risk among men who
consumed three or more drinks a day.

No difference was observed by type of alcohol when comparing beer,
distilled liquor or wine, according to Genkinger.

"Despite being a deadly disease, there are few known risk factors for
developing pancreatic cancer," explains Genkinger. "At this point, it's
important to understand any protective or risk factors for this
dangerous disease even if the risks are weak or modest."

In addition to chronic pancreatitis and diabetes, smoking is considered
the strongest risk factor for pancreatic cancer. According to the
American Cancer Society, there were approximately 18,910 new cases of
pancreatic cancer reported in 2008 and 34,290 deaths.

The study was funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute. The
authors report no potential financial conflicts

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090303161423.htm

Organic Solvent Exposure Raises Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Risk

by Reuben Chow, NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) A recent study conducted by researchers from the Yale
School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut has revealed that
women who are exposed to organic solvents while at work have a higher
risk of getting non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

About Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

According to the Mayo Clinic, non-Hodgkin lymphoma originates from one's
lymphatic system, the core disease-repelling system in the human body.
In this condition, tumors arise from lymphocytes, which are a kind of
white blood cell. In its initial stages, symptoms of the ailment may
only be the presence of swollen lymph nodes in one's neck, armpit or
groin areas; these are usually painless. Other possible warning signs
include fever, fatigue, weight loss, abdominal swelling or pain,
difficulty breathing, and very itchy skin.

Statistics from the National Cancer Institute reveal that there were
66,120 new cases of non-Hodgkin lymphoma
<http://www.naturalnews.com/lymphoma.html>  in the US in 2008, with
19,160 persons dying from it. According to the researchers, its
incidence has increased by about 3 to 4% annually since the beginning of
the 70s.

About Organic Solvents

Organic solvents <http://www.naturalnews.com/solvents.html>  are any
solvents which contain carbon. Many of these chemicals, for example
benzene, are established carcinogens. Further, chlorinated solvents are
organic solvents which also contain chlorine; such chemicals are not
only harmful to humans, but to the environment as well.

Details and Findings of Study

The study, which was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology,
had involved 601 Connecticut women who were diagnosed with non-Hodgkin
lymphoma between 1996 and 2000. 717 healthy women without the condition
were used as the control group. The women's occupational exposure to
organic solvents was analyzed and compared with their cancer
<http://www.naturalnews.com/cancer.html>  risk.

It was found that exposure to formaldehyde increased the women's risk of
non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 30%, while exposure to chlorinated solvents
boosted risk by 40%. Further, exposure to carbon tetrachloride elevated
risk by a whopping 130%.

The likelihood of getting non-Hodgkin lymphoma rose with increasing
average intensity, average probability, cumulative intensity and
cumulative probability of exposure to organic solvents. In addition,
risk also heightened with increasing average probability and cumulative
intensity of exposure to chlorinated solvents. In short, overall, the
more one is exposed, both in terms of frequency and intensity, the
higher one's risk.

Such findings mirror those from previous research, which had also
discovered elevated risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma in jobs whereby people
were more likely to be exposed to organic solvents. Such occupations
include embalming, dry cleaning, and the application of pesticides.

"These results support a potential association between occupational
exposure to organic solvents and the risk of NHL [non-Hodgkin lymphoma]
among women. Further evaluation of the relation between solvent exposure
and risk of NHL and its subtypes is warranted," concluded the
researchers.

For those at risk, it is a good idea to take some measures to protect
yourself or reduce your exposure.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025775.html

Flu Pandemic Would Catch U.S. Unprepared

by David Gutierrez, NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has
concluded that the nation is unprepared for the true effects of a
pandemic such as that expected from avian flu.

The department conducted a survey of the emergency preparedness plans of
all 50 states, five territories and the District of Columbia. It
concluded that while most of the country is well prepared to distribute
vaccines and antiviral drugs to combat an influenza pandemic, this forms
only one small part of what needs to be done.

Transportation plans for a pandemic
<http://www.naturalnews.com/pandemic.html>  are still far from adequate,
the department says. Furthermore, many states and territories are still
planning as if a pandemic would be only a short incident, rather than
months of social and economic disruption that could easily spread across
the world.

Health experts now accept that some sort of pandemic will inevitably
strike the United States -- most likely a mutant variation on the highly
lethal avian flu <http://www.naturalnews.com/avian_flu.html>  strain
H5N1, which has infected and killed 394 and 248 people to date,
respectively. Currently, the disease
<http://www.naturalnews.com/disease.html>  does not pass easily to or
between humans, but researchers worry that it would take only a few
simple mutations for that to change.

Yet while a future pandemic is accepted as reality in health
<http://www.naturalnews.com/health.html>  circles, many governments and
hospitals <http://www.naturalnews.com/hospitals.html>  continue to rank
preparation low on their list of priorities. For example, most hospitals
have not yet made plans for the "surge" of patients that a rapidly
spreading disease would cause.

"The vast majority of hospitals are like the vast majority of other
elements -- they are in the private sector," said Dr. Til Jolly, deputy
chief medical officer at the Department of Homeland Security. "And
economic times are tough."

The federal government has also played a role in diverting money and
attention from pandemic preparedness
<http://www.naturalnews.com/preparedness.html> .

"Federal funding for state and territorial pandemic preparedness ended
in August 2008," said Paul Jarris, executive director of the Association
of State and Territorial Health Officials. "In addition, overall federal
funding for preparedness activities has been cut by 25 percent since
2005."

http://www.naturalnews.com/025776.html

Lentils Halt Breast Cancer and Make Nutritious Meals for Pennies

by Barbara Minton, NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) Lentils are delicious, versatile, and easy to prepare.
They are one of civilization's oldest foods. First cultivated in the
Near East over ten thousand years ago, lentils have been a traditional
food staple that provides a wealth of nutritional benefits for pennies a
serving. Lentils belong to the legume family. This is a group of
vegetables that are at the base of the Mediterranean diet pyramid, a
diet that reduces mortality from all causes. New research is showing
that a diet rich in lentils and other legumes
<http://www.naturalnews.com/legumes.html>  is associated with a reduced
risk of breast cancer <http://www.naturalnews.com/breast_cancer.html> .

Dietary patterns and breast cancer
<http://www.naturalnews.com/cancer.html>  are associated

Scientists at the University of Southern California in conjunction with
those at the University of Minnesota investigated the association
between dietary patterns and breast cancer risk
<http://www.naturalnews.com/cancer_risk.html>  in Asian Americans. Their
population-based, case-controlled study in Los Angeles Country compared
dietary patterns of 1248 Asian American women with diagnosed breast
cancer, and 1148 matched controls.

A scoring method was used that found adherence to a Mediterranean diet
was inversely associated with breast cancer risk. This means that the
more people tended to eat the Mediterranean diet, the lower was their
risk of breast cancer. Three dietary patterns were identified, and
labeled Western (meat/starch based), ethnic (meat/starch based), and
vegetable based. Women who were high consumers of the Western and ethnic
meat/starch diets and low consumers of the vegetable based diet showed
the highest risk of developing breast cancer with an odds ratio that was
more than doubled. In their conclusions, the scientists placed credit
for these benefits primarily on higher consumption of legumes. The study
was reported in the February 11 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Tiny but mighty lentils provide plenty of other health
<http://www.naturalnews.com/health.html>  benefits

Lentils are popular in the vegetarian
<http://www.naturalnews.com/vegetarian.html>  community because of their
high levels of protein. A one hundred gram serving of lentils has around
twenty-six grams of protein. However, like all vegetable protein, lentil
protein is not complete. It is lacking two essential amino acids,
isoleucine and lysine. The means that another food
<http://www.naturalnews.com/food.html>  containing these missing amino
acids must also be added to a meal made up primarily of lentils. This is
easily accomplished by adding brown rice or another high protein grain.
And for non-vegetarians it is accomplished with the addition of small
amounts of cheese or meat.

Lentils are an excellent source of many B vitamins including B6 and
folate <http://www.naturalnews.com/folate.html> , the nutrients that
help lower levels of homocysteine
<http://www.naturalnews.com/homocysteine.html> . Homocysteine damages
artery walls and is considered a serious risk factor for heart disease
<http://www.naturalnews.com/heart_disease.html> . When folate and B6 are
present, homocysteine is converted to health promoting cysteine and
methionine.

The high level of magnesium <http://www.naturalnews.com/magnesium.html>
found in lentils is another cardiovascular health booster. Magnesium is
a natural calcium channel blocker. It makes veins and arteries relax,
and it improves blood <http://www.naturalnews.com/blood.html>  flow that
carries oxygen to the cells. Cells that are well oxygenated cannot
produce cancer.

An older study, reported in the July 1999 European Journal of
Epidemiology, examined food intake patterns and 25 year risk of death
from coronary heart disease <http://www.naturalnews.com/disease.html>
in 12,763 middle-aged men from seven countries. Different food-groups
and combinations were considered for comparison among cohorts. Typical
patterns were higher consumption of dairy products in Northern Europe;
higher consumption of meat in the U.S.; higher consumption of vegetables
<http://www.naturalnews.com/vegetables.html> , legumes, fish, and wine
<http://www.naturalnews.com/wine.html>  in Southern Europe; and higher
consumption of cereals, soy products, and fish in Japan. When the data
was analyzed it revealed that that those who ate vegetables, legumes,
fish, and wine had the greatest reduction in risk of death from coronary
heart disease. Legumes were associated with an amazing 82% reduction in
risk.

Eating lentils keeps energy levels high

Lentils are fiber superstars, and as such are able to help lower LDL
cholesterol levels <http://www.naturalnews.com/cholesterol_levels.html>
. Soluble fiber grabs hold of cholesterol containing bile and escorts it
out of the body. Fiber also helps prevent constipation and digestive
disorders.

Lentils are also powerful blood sugar
<http://www.naturalnews.com/blood_sugar.html>  stabilizers. Anyone prone
to insulin <http://www.naturalnews.com/insulin.html>  resistance,
hypoglycemia or diabetes <http://www.naturalnews.com/diabetes.html>  can
be helped by eating lentils, since they normalize blood sugar
<http://www.naturalnews.com/sugar.html>  levels while providing the body
with a steady stream of energy.

In a study reported by The World's Healthiest Foods, researchers
compared two groups of people with type 2 diabetes who were fed
different amounts of high fiber foods. One group ate the standard diet
used by diabetics in America <http://www.naturalnews.com/America.html> ,
containing 24 grams of fiber per day. The other group ate a diet
containing 50 grams of fiber per day. Their results showed the group
eating the high fiber diet had lower levels of both plasma glucose and
insulin. The high fiber group also reduced their total cholesterol by
nearly 7%, their triglyceride levels by 10.2 percent, and their VLDL
(very low density lipoprotein) cholesterol levels by 12.5%.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025773.html

Broccoli Protects Against Asthma, Rhinitis and Lung Disease

by Sherry Baker, NaturalNews.com

(NaturalNews) If you don't already eat broccoli regularly, you could be
putting your ability to breathe easily at risk. The reason? Research by
University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) scientists concludes
sulforaphane, a natural compound found in broccoli and other cruciferous
vegetables (like Brussels sprouts and cauliflower), appears to protect
against respiratory inflammation that causes asthma, allergic rhinitis,
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other conditions that
make it hard to breathe.

Free radicals have long been known to cause oxidative tissue damage --
and that can lead to inflammation
<http://www.naturalnews.com/inflammation.html>  and respiratory
disorders such as COPD and asthma
<http://www.naturalnews.com/asthma.html> . The new study, just published
in the March edition of the journal Clinical Immunology, documents that
sulforaphane <http://www.naturalnews.com/sulforaphane.html>  found in
broccoli triggers an increase of antioxidant
<http://www.naturalnews.com/antioxidant.html>  enzymes which protects
the airways against free radicals
<http://www.naturalnews.com/free_radicals.html>  that most people
breathe daily every time they are in polluted air, pollen, diesel
exhaust and tobacco smoke.

"A major advantage of sulforaphane is that it appears to increase a
broad array of antioxidant enzymes
<http://www.naturalnews.com/enzymes.html> , which may help the
compound's effectiveness in blocking the harmful effects of air
pollution," Dr. Marc Riedl, the study's principal investigator and an
assistant professor of clinical immunology and allergy at the David
Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, said in a statement to the media.

Over a period of three days, the UCLA researchers gave 65 volunteers
varying oral doses of either broccoli
<http://www.naturalnews.com/broccoli.html>  or alfalfa sprouts (which do
not contain sulforaphane, so the alfalfa served as a control for the
test). Nasal passages of the research subjects were rinsed at the
beginning and end of the study to measure the gene expression of
antioxidant enzymes in cells in the volunteers' upper airways. "We found
a two to three-old increase in antioxidant enzymes in the nasal airway
cells of study participants who had eaten a preparation of broccoli
sprouts <http://www.naturalnews.com/broccoli_sprouts.html> ," Dr. Riedl
explained in the media statement.

Overall, the scientists found significant increases of antioxidant
enzymes in the group taking the broccoli sprout preparation at doses of
100 grams and higher. When the broccoli sprout dosage was increased to
200 grams, it resulted in an especially dramatic increase in airway
protective enzymes -- a 101 percent increase of an antioxidant enzyme
called GSTP1 and a 199-percent increase of another key enzyme called
NQO1.

"This is one of the first studies showing that broccoli sprouts
<http://www.naturalnews.com/sprouts.html>  -- a readily available food
source -- offered potent biologic effects in stimulating an antioxidant
response in humans," Dr. Riedl stated in the press release. "This
strategy may offer protection against inflammatory processes and could
lead to potential treatments for a variety of respiratory conditions."

Although Dr. Riedl said it is too early to recommend a specific dosage
of broccoli to protect the airways, he does recommend including broccoli
and other cruciferous vegetables
<http://www.naturalnews.com/cruciferous_vegetables.html>  as part of a
healthy diet.

http://www.naturalnews.com/025771.html

Americans Exposed to Atomic Bomb Levels of Radiation through Medical
Imaging, CT Scans, Mammograms

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor

(NaturalNews) A new report released by the National Council on Radiation
Protection and Measurement reveals that Americans' exposure to radiation
has increased more than 600 percent over the last three decades. Most of
that increase has come from patients' exposure to radiation through
medical imaging scans such as CT scans and mammograms.

Most patients have no awareness of the dangers of ionizing radiation due
to medical imaging scans. Virtually no patients -- and few doctors --
realize that one CT scan exposes the body to the equivalent of several
hundred X-rays (http://www.naturalnews.com/023582.html), for example.
Most women undergoing mammograms
<http://www.naturalnews.com/mammograms.html>  have no idea that the
radiation emitted by mammography
<http://www.naturalnews.com/mammography.html>  machines actually causes
cancer <http://www.naturalnews.com/cancer.html>  by exposing heart and
breast tissue to dangerous ionizing radiation that directly causes DNA
damage <http://www.naturalnews.com/DNA_damage.html> .

Even low doses of radiation can add up to significant increases in
lifelong cancer risk <http://www.naturalnews.com/cancer_risk.html> . A
study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (2007) found that
survivors of the 1945 atomic bombs unleashed on Japan
<http://www.naturalnews.com/Japan.html>  during World War II still faced
significant increases in lifetime cancer risk. And the levels of
radiation to which these particular study subjects were exposed is
equivalent to receiving only two or three CT scans
<http://www.naturalnews.com/CT_scans.html> , explains an ABC News story
(http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Cancer...
<http://abcnews.go.com/Health/CancerPreventionAndTreatment/story?id=6996
192&page=1> ).

Yes, it's true: A couple of CT scans can expose your body to as much
radiation as standing a few miles from an atomic bomb explosion. This is
a simple scientific fact.

Is modern medicine <http://www.naturalnews.com/medicine.html>  priming
the population for a wave of future cancers
<http://www.naturalnews.com/cancers.html> ?

Exposure to CT scans and mammograms today can lead to cancer much later
in life. As ABC News reports, Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, the deputy chief
medical officer of the American Cancer Society, says, "Radiation
exposure from these scans is not inconsequential and can lead to later
cancers."

Thanks to the widespread use of medical imaging scans, hospitals are
also becoming a major source of nuclear waste material. See the
NaturalNews <http://www.naturalnews.com/NaturalNews.html>  report on
that topic here: http://www.naturalnews.com/025711.html

This material can be seized by terrorists and used to make dirty bombs.
Thus, hospitals are now a major source for potential tools for
terrorists.

The bottom-line question in all this is simple: Are medical imaging
devices causing more harm than good? And do mammograms actually create
future cancer patients by causing cancer in the breast? In my view, the
answers to both these questions are a resounding YES. Medical imaging
does more than just detect cancer, it also causes cancer! And that's in
the financial interests of the drug companies and cancer clinics that
profit from treating cancer.

http://www.naturalnews.com/z025767.html

Artificial Light At Night: Higher Risk Of Prostate Cancer, Study
Suggests

ScienceDaily (Feb. 4, 2009) — A new study at the University of Haifa
discovered that worldwide, countries with the highest levels of
artificial light at night also have the highest rates of prostate
cancer.

This discovery joins the findings of a previous study by the same
researchers that found a connection between exposure to artificial light
at night and the incidence of breast cancer.

Countries in which nighttime artificial lighting is used more
intensively tend to have a higher risk of prostate cancer in men,
concludes a new study that was carried out at the University of Haifa.
This joins a previous finding that was published in Chronobiology
International in 2008, that exposure to artificial lighting at night
increases the incidence of breast cancer in women.

The study, carried out by Prof. Abraham Haim, Prof. Boris A. Portnov,
and Itai Kloog of the University of Haifa together with Prof. Richard
Stevens of the University of Connecticut, USA, was intended to examine
the influence of various factors - including the amount of artificial
light at night - on the incidence of three types of cancer: prostate,
lung, and of the large intestine, in men around the world.

Data was collected from a database of the International Agency for
Research on Cancer, on the incidence of these types of cancer in men in
164 countries. Data on the levels of lighting at night were gathered
from DMSP (Defense Meteorological Satellite Program) satellite images.
The nighttime illumination data were adjusted by the geographic
distribution of the population of the country, in order to reach an
accurate measure of "the amount of artificial light per night per
person." The researchers also examined additional factors, such as
electricity consumption, percentage of urban population, socioeconomic
status, and other variables.

At the very first stage of the study, it already became clear that there
is a marked link between the incidence of prostate cancer and levels of
nighttime artificial illumination and electricity consumption. Several
different methods of statistical analysis were used to arrive at this
conclusion.

Next the researchers isolated the "amount of artificial light at night
per person" variable in order to examine its particular effect. The
countries were divided into three groups for this stage of the study:
those with little exposure to lighting at night; those with medium
exposure; and those with high exposure. The results demonstrated that
the incidence of prostate cancer in those countries with low exposure
was 66.77 prostate cancer patients to 100,000 inhabitants. An increase
of 30% was found in those countries with medium exposure: 87.11 patients
per 100,000 inhabitants. The countries with the highest level of
exposure to artificial light at night demonstrated a jump of 80%: 157
patients per 100,000 inhabitants.

According to the researchers, there are a number of theories that could
explain the increased incidence of prostate cancer due to exposure to
lighting at night, such as suppression of melatonin production,
suppression of the immune system, and an effect on the body's biological
clock because of confusion between night and day. Whatever the cause,
there is a definite link between the two. "This does not mean that we
have to go back to the Middle Ages and turn the lights out on the
country. What it means is that this link should be taken into account in
planning the country's energy policies," the researchers pointed out.

The researchers added that an increased use of artificial lighting is
considered by the World Health Organization as a source of environmental
pollution. As such, the appeal made by Israel's Ministry of
Environmental Protection to use energy-efficient lighting is
problematic, as this type of lighting is also much brighter. The country
ought to encourage energy saving in lighting as well as limiting the
pollution level.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203135015.htm

John Kinsman: Nation's food system nearly broke

John Kinsman  —  2/26/2009 12:30 pm
As our government enacts a stimulus package and President Barack Obama announces bold initiatives to stem home mortgage foreclosures, disaster threatens family farmers and their communities.

The government's response to plummeting commodity prices and tightening credit markets leads to the basic question: Who will produce our food? This is a worldwide crisis. U.S. policy and the demand for deregulation at all levels -- from food production to financial markets -- contribute greatly to the global collapse. The solution must be grounded in food sovereignty so that all farmers and their communities can regain control over their food supply. This response makes sense here in Wisconsin and was the global message from the 500+ farmer leaders at the Via Campesina conference in Mozambique in October.

Many U.S. farmers are going out of business because they receive prices equal to about one half their cost to produce our food. How long could any enterprise receiving half the amount of its input costs stay in business? As an example, dairy farmers in the Northeast and Midwest must be paid between 30 and 35 cents per pound for their milk to pay production costs and provide basic living expenses. Until 1980, farmers received a price equal to 80 percent of parity, meaning that farmers' purchasing power kept up with the rest of the economy. Unfortunately, a 1981 political decision discontinued parity, and today the dairy farmers' share is below 40 percent.

"Free trade" and other regressive agricultural policies have decimated farms. We are now a food deficit nation dependent on food imports, often of questionable quality.

Our food system is nearly broke, which is almost as serious as our country's financial meltdown. With fair farm policies, farmers would get fair prices that would not require higher consumers prices. The Canadian dairy pricing system is the best example that proves fair farmer prices can and often do bring lower consumer prices and a healthier rural economy. In addition, excessive middleman profits are taking advantage of both consumers and producers.

As more farmers face bankruptcy, we all face a food emergency. European farmers speak from thousands of years of experience on the importance of family farms when they warn us, "Any time a country neglects its family farm base and allows it to become financially bankrupt, the entire economy of that country will soon collapse. It may take generations to rebuild the farm economy and that of the country."

Despite the magnitude of this food emergency, the "farm crisis" does not appear in headlines, so politicians are not compelled to provide political or financial assistance to something that would likely fail to bring votes. As farmers, we are now only about 1 percent of the U.S. population, and have little power to expose and prevent our demise. However, our urban and rural friends could be vital voices and advocates.

Bailing out the financial giants will not solve the financial crisis in the country, but the right policies and stimulus dollars could prevent a severe food crisis by saving farmers and workers. Furthermore, farm income dollars remain in and multiply at least two to four times in the local economy.

Family farmers have proposed fair food and farm policies that can be implemented at a fraction of the present multibillion-dollar policies destroying us. As the Treasury Department develops plans to distribute the bailout funds, the National Family Farm Coalition and others urge it to require banks receiving funds to treat their borrowers fairly by providing debt restructuring as an alternate to home or farm foreclosure or bankruptcy.

Concerned citizens can call the White House, 202-456-1111, or your members of Congress, 202-224-3121, to urge them to support policies that enable farmers to earn a fair market price; request an emergency milk price at $17.50 per hundred weight; provide price stability through government grain reserves and effective supply management; support the TRADE Act to be reintroduced in Congress; increase direct and guaranteed loans to family farmers; and ensure that the food we raise can be marketed to local schools and institutions, providing a better food supply at a fair price. We need these immediate changes in our food and farm policy.

GARY: Excellent interview with Noam Chomsky posted today on Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVHHMpq2VnY