Iron Overload Can Result in Poor Health

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by Carolyn Pierini, CLS (ASCP), CNC

Examining the body’s iron status through routine blood chemistry testing may uncover a silent killer especially in men. Iron overload (excess) may present without symptoms, disrupting the balance of inflammation especially in the liver and contributing to conditions such as liver cirrhosis, arthritis, dementia, stroke, vascular disease, and bronzing of the skin.

The protein transferrin is involved in the recycling and transport of iron in the blood. Calculating the percent of transferrin saturation can detect early iron overload and possibly save a life. Simply multiply the serum iron value by 100 and then divide the result by the TIBC (total iron binding capacity) value. With a result greater than 50 percent, iron overload or the more severe, hemochromatosis, should be ruled out. Serum ferritin, another iron-bearing protein, is also clinically important.

With conditions of high iron an aggressive program of iron removal by a health care provider is advised. Reducing consumption of iron-rich foods and regular blood donation can help decrease iron stores. Detoxification support efforts including adequate fiber for optimal gut transit and supplemental iron-free mineral support to antagonize iron accumulation are recommended.

As one effect of excess iron may be to increase the production of free radicals or oxidative stress, it is prudent to increase antioxidant protection by consuming an antioxidant-rich diet and also by taking supplemental antioxidants such as Extension Antioxidant II. Deviations in iron levels, low or high, lead to health issues. Checking the body’s iron status is easily accomplished through routine blood chemistry analysis yet is often overlooked and excluded from testing. Make sure it is included in your next blood work-up.

Source:  Iron Overload Can Result in Poor Health

Facebook Is Spying on You

February 15, 2013

 

Six ways your privacy could be compromised

A billion people worldwide use Facebook to share details of their lives with their friends. Trouble is, they also might be unintentionally divulging matters they consider private—to friends…coworkers, clients and employers…marketing companies…and even to competitors, scammers and identity thieves.

Six ways Facebook could be compromising your private information and how to protect yourself…

1. The new Timeline format exposes your old mistakes. Timeline, introduced in late 2011, makes it easy for people to search back through your old Facebook posts, something that was very difficult to do in the past. That could expose private matters and embarrassing photos that you’ve long since forgotten posting.

What to do: To hide Timeline posts that you do not wish to be public, hold the cursor over the post, click the pencil icon that appears in the upper-right corner, then click “Hide from Timeline” or “Delete.”

2. Facebook apps steal personal details about you—even details that you specifically told Facebook you wished to keep private. Third-party apps are software applications available through Facebook but created by other companies. These include games and quizzes popular on Facebook such as FarmVille and Words with Friends, plus applications such as Skype, TripAdvisor and Yelp. Most Facebook apps are free—the companies that offer them make their money by harvesting personal details about users from their Facebook pages, then selling that information to advertisers.
Many apps collect only fairly innocuous information, such as age, hometown and gender, that probably is not secret. But others dig deep into Facebook data, even accessing information that you may have designated private, such as religious affiliation, political leanings and sexual orientation.

What to do: Read user agreements and privacy policies carefully to understand what information you are agreeing to share before signing up for any app. The free Internet tool Privacyscore is one way to evaluate the privacy policies of the apps you currently use (www.Facebook.com/privacyscore). You also can tighten privacy settings by clicking the lock icon in the upper-right-hand corner. Select “See More Settings,” then choose “Apps” from the left menu. Under “Apps You Use,” click “Edit” to see your privacy options.

3. Facebook “like” buttons spy on you—even when you don’t click on them. Each time you click a “like” button on a Web site, you broadcast your interest in a subject not just to your Facebook friends but also to Facebook and its advertising partners.

But if you’re a Facebook user and you visit a Web page that has a “like” button, Facebook will record that you visited that page even if you don’t click “like.” Facebook claims to keep Web-browsing habits private, but there’s no guarantee that the information won’t get out.

What to do: One way to prevent Facebook from knowing where you go online is to set your Web browser to block all cookies. Each browser has a different procedure for doing this, and you will have to re-enter your user ID and password each time you visit certain Web sites.

Alternatively, to eliminate cookies created during a specific browser session, you can use the “InPrivate Browsing” mode (Internet Explorer), “Incognito” mode (Google Chrome) or “Private Browsing” mode (Firefox and Safari).

There also are free plug-ins to stop Facebook from tracking you, such as Facebook Blocker (www.Webgraph.com/resources/facebookblocker).

4. “Social readers” tell your Facebook friends too much about your reading habits. Some sites, including The Washington Post and The Huffington Post, offer “social reader” Facebook tools. If you sign up for one, it will tell your Facebook friends what articles you read on the site.
Problem: The tools don’t share articles with your Facebook friends only when you click a “like” button—they share everything you read on the site.

What to do: If you’ve signed up for a social reader app, delete it. Click the lock icon in the upper-right-hand corner, select “See More Settings,” then choose “Apps” on the left. Locate the app, click the “X” and follow the directions to delete.

5. Photo and video tags can hurt you. They could let others see you in unflattering and unprofessional situations. If you work for a straight-laced employer or with conservative clients or you are in the job market, you already may realize that it’s unwise to post pictures of yourself in unprofessional and possibly embarrassing situations. But you may fail to consider that pictures that other people post of you also can hurt you.

A Facebook feature called photo tags has dramatically increased this risk. The tags make it easy for Facebook users to identify by name the people in photos they post, then link these photos to the Facebook pages of all users pictured.

What to do: Untag yourself from unflattering photos. Hold your cursor over the post, and click the pencil icon. Select “Report/Remove Tag,” then follow the directions to remove the tag. Enable review of all future photos you’re tagged in before they appear on your Timeline. Click the lock icon in the upper right, then “See More Settings” and select “Timeline and Tagging.” Then click “Edit” next to “Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your Timeline,” and click “Enabled” on the drop-down menu.

6. Your Facebook friends—and those friends’ friends—may reveal too much about you. Even if you’re careful not to provide sensitive information about yourself on Facebook, those details could be exposed by the company you keep.

Example: A 2009 Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found it was possible to determine with great accuracy whether a man was gay. This was based on factors such as the percentage of his Facebook friends who were openly gay—even if this man did not disclose his sexual orientation himself.

If several of your Facebook friends list a potentially risky or unhealthy activity, such as smoking or bar hopping, among their interests—or include posts or pictures of themselves pursuing this interest—an insurer, college admissions officer, employer or potential employer might conclude that you likely enjoy this pursuit yourself.

What to do: Take a close look at the interests and activities mentioned by your Facebook friends. If more than a few of them discuss a dangerous hobby, glory in unprofessional behavior or are open about matters of sexual orientation or political or religious beliefs that you consider private, consider removing most or all of these people from your friends list or at least make your friends list private. Click your name in the upper right, then click “Friends,” then “Edit” and select “Only Me” from the drop-down menu.

http://www.bottomlinepublications.com/content/article/self-improvement/facebook-is-spying-on-you?

Is Adrenal Fatigue Making You Chronically Stressed

17 February 2013

 

Danica Collins | 0 CommentsMore

 

Can “Fight or Flight” Make You Chronically Stressed and Exhausted?

Adrenal fatigue is a term used in alternative and holistic medicine to describe the affect of chronic stress on the adrenal glands.

The adrenal glands are part of your endocrine system and are located on top of your kidneys. The endocrine system affects every cell in your body. Approximately the size of walnuts, these glands are small but powerful.

Hydrocortisone (cortisol), corticosterone, aldosterone and epinephrine (adrenaline) are produced and secreted by your adrenal glands and crucial to your total body health. They affect far more than the “fight or flight” response.

Functions Regulated by Adrenal Glands

• Cardiovascular system
• Metabolism
• Immune system
• Inflammation
• Physical and mental responses to stress

When we deal with an isolated stressful event – such as a car accident, final exam or job interview – our body reacts with a combination of hormone secretions and physiological markers such as increased heart rate. In the short term, the hormone levels rise to handle the event then gradually return to normal.

How Adrenal Fatigue Wreaks Havoc On Your Immune System

Chronic stress indicates that cortisol levels do not return to normal. They remain elevated – an unnatural state for your body – and eventually your body is unable to regulate them at all.

This compromises your immune system and triggers chronic inflammation, which leads to disease and the gradual inability to produce these essential hormones at all. When your stress hormones remain elevated for too long, your entire body is adversely affected.

5 Symptoms of Adrenal Fatigue

1. Immune system – habitual illness such as bronchitis or chronic cough, inability to “bounce back” after being sick, acne, worsening allergies or asthma symptoms, muscle weakness, unexplained muscle aches and headaches
2. Mood – short temper, anxiety, feelings of sadness, overwhelmed or panic
3. Brain function – inability to concentrate and poor memory
4. Energy and sleep – poor sleep patterns, lack of energy, tiredness no matter how many hours of sleep you get
5. Weight and nutrition – abdominal weight gain, increased caloric intake at night, craving for carbohydrates, high-sugar or high-salt foods, caffeine dependence, excessive thirst, indigestion and hypoglycemia

Fortunately, adrenal fatigue is reversible with diet, exercise and mind-body therapy such as yoga, tai chi and focused meditation. People with adrenal fatigue tend to be vitamin deficient. By controlling your diet, you can improve your vitamin levels quickly and safely.

Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies Common with Adrenal Fatigue

• Vitamin E – seeds and nuts (especially California almonds), spinach, green olives, dried apricots and dried herbs such as basil and oregano.
• Vitamin C – camu camu, berries, guava, leafy greens, oranges, kiwi and peppers
• Calcium – dairy products, dried herbs, seeds and nuts, leafy greens and herring
• Magnesium – bran (wheat, rice, oat), seeds and nuts, dried herbs and dark chocolate
• B-Complex – there are eight vitamins that compose B-complex so eating a wide variety of foods will ensure you get what your body needs. Some examples are watermelon, beans, dairy products, leafy greens, fatty fish, eggs, seeds and nuts, avocados, bananas and tomatoes

Avoiding junk food high in fat and sugar, adding more fruits and vegetables every day and getting true rest is crucial to total body health, but is especially important for stress management.

Remove negativity in as many ways as possible and remember to give yourself personal time to cope with the demands placed on you every day.

With daily changes, you can reverse adrenal fatigue and take back your life.

Further Related Reading:

• Easy Deep Breathing Techniques to Lower Your Stress Level in 10 Seconds a Day
• Greeks Knew All About Rosemary Benefits…Now Making A Comeback
• How Can You Stop Chronic Stress from Destroying Your Memory

Source:  Is Adrenal Fatigue Making You Chronically Stressed

American Foods Chockfull of Ingredients Banned in Other Countries

February 27, 2013                 

Story at-a-glance

• More than 3,000 food additives -- preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients -- are added to foods in the United States. Many of these additives are banned in other countries
• Ingredients banned in other countries yet allowed in the US include various food dyes, the fat substitute Olestra, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate (aka brominanted flour), Azodicarbonamide, BHA, BHT, rBGH, rBST, and arsenic
• Russia has announced a ban on virtually all U.S. meat and meat product imports, effective February 11, due to the feed additive ractopamine in the meats
• In the US, ditching processed foods is your best bet to avoid potentially harmful food additives. If you live in Europe you may have more options, as you may be able to find processed foods that do not contain any synthetic additives at all

By Dr. Mercola

More than 3,000 food additives -- preservatives, flavorings, colors and other ingredients -- are added to foods in the United States.

While each of these substances are legal to use in the US, whether or not they are safe for long-term consumption -- by themselves or in combination -- is a different story altogether. Many have been deemed too harmful to use in other countries.

When you consider that about 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food goes toward processed foods loaded with these additives, it’s no wonder most people are carrying a hefty toxic load that can wreak havoc on their health.

A list of ingredients that are banned across the globe but still allowed for use in America recently made the news. The list is featured in the new book, Rich Food, Poor Food, authored by nutritionist Mira Calton and her husband Jayson.

The banned ingredients include various food dyes, the fat substitute Olestra, brominated vegetable oil, potassium bromate (aka brominanted flour), Azodicarbonamide, BHA, BHT, rBGH, rBST, and arsenic.

Seeing that the overall health of Americans is so much lower than other industrialized countries, you can’t help but wonder whether toxic ingredients such as these might play a role in our unhealthy conditions.

Meanwhile, Russia has announced that it plans to extend a ban on U.S. beef, pork and turkey imports coming into effect this month, due to the feed additive ractopamine in the meats. Ractopamine is a growth stimulant banned in several countries, including Russia.

Processed Foods Depend on Additives

When foods are processed, not only are valuable nutrients lost and fibers removed, but the textures and natural variation and flavors are also lost. After processing, what's left behind is a bland, uninteresting "pseudo-food" that most people wouldn’t want to eat.

So at this point, food manufacturers must add back in the nutrients, flavor, color and texture to processed foods in order to make them palatable, and this is why they become loaded with food additives.

Most commonly, additives are included to slow spoilage, prevent fats and oils from going rancid, prevent fruits from turning brown, fortify or enrich the food with synthetic vitamins and minerals to replace the natural ones that were lost during processing, and improve taste, texture and appearance. When reading product packages, here are some of the most common food additives¹ to watch out for:

• Preservatives: sodium benzoate, sodium nitrite, potassium sorbate, BHA, BHT, TBHQ
• Sweeteners and artificial sweeteners: fructose, high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, sucralose, acesulfame potassium (acesulfame-K)
• Artificial colors: FD&C Blue Nos. 1 and 2, FD&C Green No. 3, FD&C Red Nos. 3 and 40, FD&C Yellow Nos. 5 and 6, Orange B, Citrus Red No. 2
• Artificial flavors
• Flavor enhancers: monosodium glutamate (MSG), hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract

Top Offenders to Avoid

According to the Caltons, the following 13 additives are the worst of the more than 150 individual ingredients they investigated during their six-year long journey, which took them through 100 different countries.²

Ingredient	Found in	Health Hazards
Coloring agents: blue 1, blue 2, yellow 5, and yellow 6	Cake, candy, macaroni and cheese, medicines, sport drinks, soda, pet food, and cheese	Most artificial colors are made from coal tar, which is a carcinogen
Olestra (aka Olean)	Fat-free potato chips	Depletion of fat-soluble vitamins and carotenoids. Side effects include oily anal leakage
Brominated vegetable oil (aka BVO)	Sports drinks and citrus-flavored sodas	Competes with iodine for receptor sites in the body, which can lead to hypothyroidism, autoimmune disease, and cancer. The main ingredient, bromine, is a poisonous, corrosive chemical, linked to major organ system damage, birth defects, growth problems, schizophrenia, and hearing loss
Potassium bromate (aka brominated flour)	Rolls, wraps, flatbread, bread crumbs, and bagel chips	See bromine above. Associated with kidney and nervous system disorders, gastrointestinal discomfort
Azodicarbonamide	Breads, frozen dinners, boxed pasta mixes, and packaged baked goods	Linked to asthma
BHA and BHT	Cereal, nut mixes, gum, butter, meat, dehydrated potatoes, and beer	BHA may be a human carcinogen, a cancer-causing agent. BHT can cause organ system toxicity
Synthetic hormones: rBGH and rBST	Milk and dairy products	Linked to breast, colon, and prostate cancers
Arsenic	Poultry	EPA classifies inorganic arsenic as a "human carcinogen"

What’s With the Double-Standards?

The food industry has already formulated safer, better products for other countries, in which these and other harmful ingredients are banned. So why do they insist on selling inferior versions in America? For clear examples, take a look at a recent article on 100DaysOfRealFood.com.³ In it, Vani Hari shows the ingredient labels of several common foods sold in the US and the UK, such as Betty Crocker’s Red Velvet cake mix, McDonald’s French fries, and Pizza Hut’s garlic cheese bread. Amazingly, while these foods can be created using a bare minimum of additives in the UK (and sometimes none), in the US, they’re absolutely LOADED with chemicals.

“The food industry does not want us to pay attention to the ingredients nor do they care about the negative effects from eating them. They certainly don’t care about the astronomical medical bills that are a direct result of us eating the inferior food they are creating,” Vani Hari writes.

“...We as a collective nation must stop this trajectory of sickness and rising health care costs, by understanding the ingredients we are putting into our bodies. We must challenge the U.S. food industry to discontinue the use of banned ingredients that are not allowed elsewhere in the world. We deserve to have the same quality food without potential toxins.”
 

Russia Issues Long-Term Ban on US Meat

In related “questionable food” news, Russia recently banned US meat supplies after discovering it contains ractopamine—a beta agonist drug that increases protein synthesis, thereby making the animal more muscular. This reduces the fat content of the meat. As reported by Pravda,⁴ Russia is the fourth largest importer of US meats, purchasing about $500 million-worth of beef and pork annually.

Effective February 11, Russia will no longer allow US meat imports, stating the ban “is likely to last for a long time.”⁵ All meat suppliers wishing to sell their meat and meat products to Russia must certify their meat as ractopamine-free—a condition the US has so far refused to comply with.

The drug is banned for use in 160 countries, including China and Russia, but allowed in 24 countries, including Canada and the United States. While the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) considers ractopamine safe and doesn’t test for it, Russia’s chief health inspector, Gennady Onishchenko, claims there are “serious questions” about the safety of the drug. He previously told the New York Times:⁶

“For instance, use of ractopamine is accompanied by a reduction in body mass, suppression of reproductive function, increase of mastitis in dairy herds, which leads to a steep decline in the quality and safety of milk.”

Ractopamine is also known to affect the human cardiovascular system, and may cause food poisoning, according to Pravda.⁷ It’s also thought to be responsible for hyperactivity, muscle breakdown, and can increase death and disability in livestock.  

While other drugs require a clearance period of around two weeks to help ensure the compounds are flushed from the meat prior to slaughter (and therefore reduce residues leftover for human consumption), there is no clearance period for ractopamine.

In fact, livestock growers intentionally use the drug in the last days before slaughter in order to increase its effectiveness. According to veterinarian Michael W. Fox, as much as 20 percent of ractopamine remains in the meat you buy from the supermarket. Despite potential health risks, the drug is used in 45 percent of US pigs, 30 percent of ration-fed cattle, and an unknown percentage of turkeys.
 

What’s the Simplest Way to Avoid Harmful Food Additives?

Ditch processed foods entirely. (If you live in Europe you may have more options than Americans, as you may be able to find some processed foods that do not contain any synthetic additives.) About 90 percent of the money Americans spend on food is spent on processed foods, so there is massive room for improvement in this area for most people.

Swapping your processed food diet for one that focuses on fresh whole foods may seem like a radical idea, but it's a necessity if you value your health. And when you put the history of food into perspective, it's actually the processed foods that are "radical" and "new." People have thrived on vegetables, meats, eggs, fruits and other whole foods for centuries, while processed foods were only recently invented.

If you want to eat healthy, I suggest you follow the 1950s (and before) model and spend quality time in the kitchen preparing high-quality meals for yourself and your family. If you rely on processed inexpensive foods, you exchange convenience for long-term health problems and mounting medical bills. For a step-by-step guide to make this a reality in your own life, simply follow the advice in my optimized nutrition plan along with these seven steps to wean yourself off processed foods.

When it comes to staying healthy, avoiding processed foods and replacing them with fresh, whole foods is the "secret" you've been looking for. Additionally, the more steps your food goes through before it reaches your plate, the greater your chances of contamination becomes. If you are able to get your food locally, you eliminate numerous routes that could expose your food to contamination with disease-causing pathogens.

[-] Sources and References

• ¹ FDA Food ingredients
• ² Shape Magazine January 16, 2013
• ³ 100daysofrealfood.com February 11, 2013
• ⁴ Pravda November 12, 2012
• ⁵ Huffington Post February 11, 2013
• ⁶ New York Times December 8, 2012
• ⁷See ref 5

Source:  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/02/27/us-food-products.aspx

Excess drinking of alcohol 'is underestimated'

27 February 2013 Last updated at 03:53 GMT

Ad hoc drinking may mean we do not
actually know howmuch we are consuming

The amount of alcohol consumed in England could be much higher than previously thought, a study suggests.

University College London researchers compared alcohol sales figures with surveys of what people said they drank.

They found there was a significant shortfall with almost half of the alcohol sold unaccounted for in the consumption figures given by drinkers.

This suggests as many as three-quarters of people may be drinking above the recommended daily alcohol limit.

The researchers reached their estimates by factoring in the "missing" alcohol - and found excess drinking was far more than suggested by official figures, they told European Journal of Public Health.

Experts said much alcohol use went unreported, partly because drinkers did not admit or keep track of how much they consumed.

'Health implications'

The study found that 19% more men than previously thought were regularly exceeding their recommend daily limit - and 26% more women.

Total consumption across the week was also higher than officially thought - with 15% more men, and 11% more women drinking above the weekly guidelines.

The current recommendation set by the UK Chief Medical Officers is not to regularly exceed four units per day for men and three units a day for women; the Royal College of Physicians recommends weekly alcohol limits of 21 units for men and 14 units for women - although these are currently under review.

A unit of alcohol is roughly equivalent to half a pint of ordinary strength beer, or nearly one small glass of wine.

Sadie Boniface, lead author of the study at University College, said: "Currently we don't know who consumes almost half of all alcohol in England. This study was conducted to show what alcohol consumption would look like when all of what is sold is accounted for, if everyone under-reported equally.

"The results are putative, but they show that this gap between what is seen in the surveys and sales potentially has enormous implications for public health in England."

The team used alcohol sales data from Revenue and Customs and compared it with two self-reporting alcohol consumption surveys conducted in 2008 - the General Lifestyle Survey (GLF) which analysed average weekly alcohol consumption in 12,490 adults, and the Health Survey for England (HSE) which looked at consumption on the heaviest drinking day in the previous week among 9,608 adults.

Counting units

The researchers say they will now look at the characteristics of those that are under-reporting the number of drinks they have had, and why.

They suggest it may be down to drinking patterns and habits - those that are mixing drinks, and drinking at different venues, may be more likely to under-report.

The charity Alcohol Concern suggests irregular and chaotic drinking behaviour may play a part: "When we're totting up our drinks total we don't always count some occasions as proper drinking.

"We may underestimate drink sizes and their alcoholic content, and not count holidays and special occasions like weddings, birthdays and Christmas when we often drink a great deal more than usual."

The researchers suggest that government drinking guidelines need to reflect actual consumption instead of reported drinking - especially when ascertaining what levels are associated with harm.

The Department of Health says this will be taken into consideration in their alcohol consumption review.

It said: "We already know people underestimate what they drink and many drink too much. That's why we work to help people make healthier decisions, including the recent Change For Life campaign to help them track consumption and understand the impact on their health.

"We're also tackling excessive drinking through our proposed minimum unit price at 45p per unit, tougher licensing laws, more GP risk assessments, better access to specialist nurses and more specialised treatment."

Diane Abbott MP, Labour's shadow public health minister, said: "This has got to be a wake-up call for the government and the country, because after more than two years of bitter internal rows, the government has got cold feet about its only proposed alcohol harm policy.

"More needs to be done to tackle problem drinking, which costs the country £21bn.

Related Stories

• Alcohol 'underestimated' by young
  26 FEBRUARY 2012, SUSSEX
• 10 radical solutions to binge drinking
  21 FEBRUARY 2012, MAGAZINE
• Charities start alcohol campaigns
  01 JANUARY 2013, UK
• Why is alcohol consumption falling?
  15 FEBRUARY 2011, MAGAZINE

Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21586566

Germany investigates organic egg 'fraud'

25 February 2013 Last updated at 20:15 GMT 


German authorities are investigating allegations
 of fraud over the mislabelling of eggs as organic.

The northern state of Lower Saxony has launched an investigation into allegations that 150 farms had mislabelled their eggs.

It is claimed that the hens live in conditions that do not conform to organic regulations.

The farm minister said that if the accusations are proved to be true, it would be "fraud on a grand scale".

Farm Minister Ilse Aigner said in a statement that the mislabelling of eggs would be "fraud against consumers but also fraud against the many organic farmers in Germany who work honestly".

She urged regional governments to ensure the full implementation of tough German and EU laws on organic food production.

The investigations come as Europe's food industry has been engulfed by a meat processing and labelling scandal after multiple processed meat products labelled as beef were revealed to contain quantities of horsemeat.

An additional 50 farms in two other German states are also under investigation for mislabelling eggs as organic.

Organic food is increasingly popular in Germany and consumers are willing to pay a premium for products they believe conform to strict standards.

Two years ago, a European Union-wide health alert was sparked when German officials said animal feed tainted with dioxin had been fed to hens and pigs, contaminating eggs, poultry meat and pork at affected farms.

From other news sites

• Xinhua News Agency German authorities investigate possible organic egg fraud 10 hrs ago
• Reuters UK Ikea finds horsemeat and new food scandal hits eggs 13 hrs ago
• Deutsche Welle Egg fraud scandal hits already food-conscious Germany 17 hrs ago
• Scientific American* Germany Investigates Possible Organic Egg Fraud 18 hrs ago
• Expatica Germany Probe launched into German 'organic' eggs 20 hrs ago

Source:  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21573158

Horsemeat scandal spreads across Europe

Horsemeat scandal spreads across Europe

The Secrets to Getting the Best Hospital Care

January 5, 2013

Want to make sure that you get the best care possible during your hospital stay? Get on your nurse’s good side.

A recent study from researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia found that if a nurse perceives his or her hospital’s care to be “excellent,” that is usually correct—a nurse’s perception usually matches the hospital’s data on patient outcomes and other measures of quality of care. And if a nurse can easily recognize what good care looks like, chances are she knows how patients can get it, too!

So I had a chat with Iris Atkins, RN, a nurse with 50 years of experience who works in the radiation oncology department at a large medical center in Chula Vista, California.

When it comes to interacting with a nurse at a hospital, she gave me a few key tips that patients should remember. They’ll help keep your nurse happy, which is bound to help keep you happy and healthy in return!

HOW TO GET ON YOUR NURSE’S GOOD SIDE

First of all, it’s worth noting that Atkins herself didn’t make any crazy confessions during our conversation. For example, she said that she has never treated any patients rudely or poorly—even ones who were difficult.

But based on my experience as a patient and those of my friends, I don’t believe that all nurses are quite as consistent. Nurses are professionals, sure, but they’re also human beings. And when you treat them with respect and ask the right kinds of questions, I personally think that you’re likely to get a greater amount of attention, friendliness and helpfulness in return.

Here’s what Atkins advised…

Ask about your nurse’s personal life. This might sound intrusive, but showing that you care about your nurse as a person (not as a servant) can make him or her feel more valued. Plus, you may find that you have something in common—whether it’s an overprotective older brother, growing up in a small town, a passion for running or a love for cheesecake—and that will create a bond between you.

Make her smile. Joke about yourself…tell your nurse your favorite one-liner…or even ask a family member or friend to bake a batch of brownies for her. And don’t worry about being seen as a kiss-up. Nurses have intense, stressful jobs, so anything that you can do to put her in a good mood might encourage her to come visit your room more often.

Be polite. You’d be surprised to learn how often patients ignore their nurses when nurses enter the room…and then speak in a condescending tone or bark out orders when they do say something. Granted, there’s a good chance you aren’t feeling well when you are in the hospital—but you can say “hello,” “good-bye,” “please” and “thank you,” right?

Speak up—but not too often. You’re familiar with the phrase “the squeaky wheel gets the grease.” That definitely applies in a hospital! If there’s something that you need, don’t expect your nurse to read your mind—ask her about it. Of course, you don’t want to buzz her into your room again and again for nonemergency requests, so consolidate these requests—whether for a room-temperature change, a pillow adjustment, a drink or even something larger like a room change—and then tell her that you’ve saved up requests to save her some trips.

Keep these tips in mind the next time you’re in a hospital. Your nurse can be your greatest advocate—and you can help make her exactly that.

Source: Iris Atkins, RN, works in the radiation oncology department at a large medical center in Chula Vista, California. She has 50 years of experience and has been a nurse supervisor and worked in the hospital’s intensive care direct observation unit and cardiology department.

The Secrets to Getting the Best Hospital Care

Top 10 Worst Lunch Meals You Can Eat

Posted by Dave Roberts in Nutrition

There are many foods that we unanimously think of when we think of lunch; however, many of these foods are not healthy for us. In addition, many of these foods are not doing what they should be doing as a lunch, which is providing us with enough energy to get through the rest of the day. The following 10 worst lunch meals you can eat may surprise you, and you may find yourself changing your lunch menu from this point on.

 

1. Fast Food Hamburger and Fries – A sensible size burger on its own is not that bad; however, if you add an extra patty, supersize bun, bacon, all the condiments, a few pieces of cheese, and then add some fries to the mixture, you are on your way to heart attack city. Even if your fries are Tran’s fat free, you are still packing on excess calories that you don’t need midday. In addition, french fries can be hard to digest, which will drain your energy and ruin your productivity for the rest of the day.

 

2. Convenience Store Premade Sandwiches – Every convenience store carries a version of a sandwich, and they are definitely convenient! Just grab, heat, and go. But, most premade sandwiches contain unhealthy preservatives to help keep the sandwiches intact until they reach the store. In addition, they contain unhealthy fats, sweeteners, and other additives. If you want a sandwich, take the time to stop into a store that makes sandwiches on the spot or has made them fresh that morning, it will take two extra minutes and be much healthier.

3. Muffins – Muffins have been long thought to be a healthy breakfast idea, and many people eat a muffin and coffee for lunch as well. However, most muffins are made from enriched flour, sugar, and butter which are all unhealthy for you and will cause you to crash as the white flour and sugar have a high glycemic index.

4. Baked Potato – When you think of baked you think of healthy, and a baked potato is definitely healthier than its cousin the fry is. However, potatoes have a high glycemic index and will cause you to feel tired when eaten because they cause a quick spike in your blood sugar, which quickly drops dramatically and causes you to crash mentally and physically.

 

5. Cheese and Enriched Crackers – While cheese is generally accepted to be healthy for you, the crackers are not unless you are eating a certain kind. Most crackers are filled with sugar, additives, fats, and enriched flour. For example, the first ingredient (which means the biggest ingredient) in the popular Ritz cracker is enriched flour. When you eat enriched flour, you are eating wheat that was stripped of its natural make-up and then put back together with other stuff. According to the Global Healing Center, some of those items can be toxic. For instance, they say that the iron added is not really a nutrient at all but rather a metallic iron that is not bioavailable to the human body and is not meant to be consumed. Therefore, look for healthier, whole-grain crackers made from buckwheat, flax, or spelt.

 

6. Prepackaged Cheese and Meat Trays – Prepackaged trays with cheese, crackers, meat, and fruit are so convenient, and so unhealthy. First, they are full of preservatives to make the product last long on the shelf. Second, they are full of salt to help the product taste good. Lastly, they are packed in plastic trays. It is well known that plastic trays used for food packaging are made from Polyvinyl chloride (PVC or vinyl), and the chemicals leach out of the plastic and into the items surrounding them, like your cheese and crackers. There are many health issues associated with these chemicals including DNA damage, lung function damage and weight gain. Therefore, you should really avoid any prepackaged meals for lunch.

7. Take Out Pizza – Everyone loves a slice or two of pizza at lunch, but if you are buying it out then you are likely consuming over 500 calories and 20 grams of fat. If you add a soda to that, then you are increasing your calories significantly. In addition, pizza is made from enriched flour, which can cause you to lose energy and productivity throughout the afternoon. If you really want pizza, then make it at home with a thin whole-grain crust and eat that instead of takeout pizza.

8. Bagels – Again, bagels can raise your blood sugar level quickly and cause you to crash in the afternoon due to their white flour and sugar content. Also, most bagels that you buy are excessively big when it comes to portion size. If you really want bagels for lunch, then make ‘mini-bagels’ at home with whole grain flour.

 

9. Energy Bars – Most people associate energy bars with healthy. They are supposed to give us energy and supply us with nutrients; however, most of them are really just a candy bar in disguise. They are mostly made up of enriched white flour, high fructose corn syrup and sugar. (All things that spike up blood sugar too quickly which causes a crash soon after.) They can also be high in saturated fat. Moreover, despite their claim to be a meal in themselves, you will become hungry again within a few hours because the spike in energy (which is really what they are supposed to do) goes away quickly and you become hungry again. Instead of an energy bar, opt for a whole grain bar that offers plenty of fiber and no white sugar or flour.

 

10. Smoothie – I had to include this one because smoothie bars are popping up all over the place as a healthier option for lunch, and it is hard to argue that they are obviously healthier than a piece of pizza or hamburger and fries. However, a smoothie is not going to supply you with the fiber needed to keep you full throughout the day, even though it does supply you with a good amount of calories. This can cause you to become hungry again quickly and eat more during the afternoon, which can increase your calorie total for the day and contribute to weight gain. Instead of a smoothie, eat a filling food at lunch and cut back on the calories.

 

In the end, the above 10 common lunch meals are really bad choices. Instead, eat whole grains, vegetables and fruits for lunch. You will find that by doing so you have much more energy and feel much better throughout your afternoon.

Source: Top 10 Worst Lunch Meals You Can Eat

Horsemeat scandal: UK and EU Withdrawn products and test results

25 February 2013 Last updated at 13:18 GMT

The discovery of horsemeat in beef products has led to a range of processed foods being withdrawn from sale across Europe.

Retailers and suppliers have been conducting tests to try to determine to what extent, if any, horsemeat is contained in their products labelled as beef.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says 3,634 tests have been carried out in the UK so far, with 35 tests showing the presence of horsemeat. As products were tested multiple times, the 35 positive results relate to only 13 different products, including Findus beef lasagne, which yielded at least 15 positive results.

This table is being updated as results emerge.

Meat products: UK withdrawals and test results
Company	Withdrawn products:		Test results:
	Due to horsemeat	As a precaution/other	15 Feb	22 Feb
*Information as supplied by supermarkets.
	Everyday value frozen burgers Frozen quarter pounders Tesco Everyday ValueSpaghetti Bolognese frozen Flamehouse Frozen Chargrilled Quarter Pounders		New tests on 149 products show no horsemeat	100 new tests, all show no horsemeat
		Own-label frozen burgers withdrawn as a precaution	100 tests, all tests show no horsemeat	150 new tests, all show no horsemeat
	Asda Beef Bolognese sauce, 350g 4 frozen Chargrilled Beef Quarter Pounders, 454g 4 frozen Beef Quarter Pounders with Cheese & Jalapenos, 454g 8 frozen Smart Price Beef Burgers, 397g 4 frozen Aberdeen Angus Quarter Pounders 454g Findus beef lasagne	A number of  products have been withdrawn as a precaution. See the list here.	197 tests on Asda own brand beef products. The Bolognese sauce tested above the FSA's threshold for horsemeat	Awaiting latest results
		Own brand frozen 16 British beef meatballs after finding they contain traces of pork	40 tests, all show no horsemeat	65 tests completed in total. All show no horsemeat
	Four beef quarter pounders Eight beef frozen burgers with onions Findus beef lasagne	Flamehouse Beef Burgers 907g Flamehouse Economy Beef Burgers 397g Ross 4 Beef Quarter Pounders 454g	76 results back out of 102 own brand products. All so far show no horsemeat	All tests have been completed. All show no horsemeat
	Moordale frozen beef quarter pounders	Coquette Ravioli Bolognese Coquette Premium Beef Goulash 500g	35 own brand beef products tested. All show no horsemeat.	43 products tested in total. All show no horsemeat
	Four pack quarter pounders Four pack 100% beef quarter pounders		All own brand products tested show no horsemeat Iceland says the testing method used previously "was not an accredited test" and "two subsequent tests of the same batch of burgers carried out by two accredited independent laboratories found no evidence of contamination"	No new test results
	Frozen Oakhurst 100% beef quarter pounders Frozen specially selected Aberdeen Angus quarter pounders Frozen Oakhurst beef burgers Today's special frozen beef lasagne Today's special frozen spaghetti bolognese		163 tests completed. All show no horsemeat.	179 tests completed in total. All show no horsemeat
	Findus beef lasagne	Dalepak 4 Beef quarter pounders Adams beef burger 8's Ross 4 Beef quarter pounders	68 tests completed. All show no horsemeat.	165 tests on own-brand products. All show no horsemeat
Whitbread	Burgers supplied by Paragon Beef lasagne supplied by Brakes Brothers		Sent 30 products to be tested. Horsemeat found in beef lasagne and burgers. Whitbread's results were not included in the FSA's announcement Whitbread own Premier Inn hotels, Brewers Fayre pubs, Table Table pubs and Beefeater restaurants
	Beefburgers supplied by Rangeland Foods		Horsemeat found in burgers supplied to 13 sites in Ireland and 27 in Northern Ireland, including two secondary schools
		After horsemeat found in a chilli con carne dish sold in Belgium, spaghetti bolognese, shepherd's pie and lasagne ready meals from the same supplier withdrawn as a precaution

Meat products: Withdrawals in Europe
Supplier	Country	Withdrawn product(s)	Reason
	Spain Italy France	Buitoni Beef Ravioli withdrawn in Spain and Italy Beef Tortellini withdrawn in Spain and Italy Lasagne a la bolognaise gourmandes withdrawn in France	All three products tested positive for horsemeat above 1%
	Germany	TiP frozen lasagne	Horsemeat was detected, leading the Real supermarket chain to withdraw the frozen lasagnes Other German supermarkets began testing beef products after the discovery
	Belgium	Chilli con carne ready meal	Tests found 2% of horse DNA
	Slovakia Czech Republic Hungary France UK Portugal Italy Netherlands Belgium Spain Greece Cyprus Ireland	One batch of frozen Swedish meatballs	Food inspectors in the Czech Republic found horsemeat in meatballs made in Sweden for the furniture store. The meatballs had been labelled as beef and pork and were tested after being imported

 

 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21412590

China admits to existence of 'cancer villages'

 ... sprouting up due to extreme pollution, chemical exposure

Saturday, February 23, 2013
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com (See all articles...)

(NaturalNews) On the heels of my own publication of articles questioning the integrity of "certified organic" when it comes to foods and superfoods produced in mainland China, a blockbuster report from China's own environmental ministry slams another exclamation mark on the severity of the problem. For the first time in history, the Chinese government is now openly admitting that severe exposure to chemicals via water pollution, air pollution and environmental pollution is causing the rise of "cancer villages" across China.

Their report states:

Poisonous and harmful chemical materials have brought about many water and atmosphere emergencies... certain places are even seeing 'cancer villages'... (Source)

It goes on to admit:

[China allows the use of] poisonous and harmful chemical products that are banned in developed countries and pose long-term or potential harm to human health and the ecology.

China is a nation being murdered by chemical pollution

China can no longer deny the truth that its nation, and its people, are being destroyed by toxic pollution. To appreciate the magnitude of this admission, you have to understand that China's government is steeped in the practice of denial. All communist regimes are, of course, delusional at every level, but China has taken denial to a whole new depth of mastery with its longstanding insistence that environmental problems didn't really exist. If a Chinese local saw a wave of bright green sludge pouring down a local river and they complained to the government, they were simply told it was caused by "overpopulation," not by a factory dumping chemical sludge into the river.

Pollution? What pollution? Huh?

In reality, China has the worst pollution problems of any modern nation on our planet. It has allowed industry to explode at the cost of devastating environmental destruction. Virtually no environmental regulations are enforced. The air, water and food are all toxic. Ninety percent of the water supply to Chinese cities is severely contaminated, and forty percent of the nation's rivers are extremely toxic.

This is how "cancer villages" appear, of course: People living in China eat the food grown in China. They breathe the air. They drink the water. And then they start mutating at the genetic level. This results in cancer, birth defects and untold human suffering.

How do foods grown in China get certified organic?

As I have warned Natural News readers over the past few days, the idea that food grown in China can be "certified organic" needs to be seriously questioned. This is especially true given that organic certification does not test for, nor limit, the level of contamination allowed in foods. A food product from China can contain 500ppm of mercury, for example, and still be "certified organic" by the USDA.

How does this happen? The USDA licenses organic certifiers to operate in China. Those local certifiers then visit the local farms and make sure they comply with organic certification requirements. Those requirements include not spraying petroleum-based fertilizers, insecticides or herbicides on crops; not using synthetic hormones in animal feed; not planting GMOs, and so on. But organic standards utterly lack any limits on the pollution of irrigation water sprayed on crops. They do not limit how close your crops can be to a chemical plant, nor do they limit the level of heavy metals contamination in the final product.

So, by definition, a China-grown "organic" food or superfood can be irrigated with toxic chemical runoff, bathed in chemical plant fallout, and grown in heavy metals-laced soil, and still be "certified organic" and sold at Whole Foods!

This realization shocks a lot of people. They had no idea that such heavily contaminated foods could be certified organic and sold at health food stores in the USA.

And now, this new report from China's environmental ministry further supports the severity of the problem there. How are people getting cancer in "cancer villages" all across China? By eating the food grown in China! By drinking the water and breathing the same air that falls on crops in China.

Why would people who are trying to buy the cleanest, purest food and supplements in North America want to source something grown in the same nation where "cancer villages" are sprouting up like cancer tumors?

Always check the country of origin

If you really stop to think about it for a minute, where do you want your organic foods to come from? The cleanest nations on the planet, right? If you're buying "organic," you want it to be from countries like Canada, the USA, France and Germany.

I'm not saying these nations are pristine environments, but compared to countries like China where chemical factories are openly allowed to just flush toxic chemicals right into the rivers, the USA, France and Canada are sparkling clean. This is a case where government -- as cruel and oppressive as it is -- has actually done some measure of good with enforcing environmental regulations against factories and corporate entities. (Yes, the EPA goes way too far in harassing farmers and small business owners, but on the positive side, they have also helped halt all sorts of mega-corporation pollution over the years.)

The upshot of all this is that you have to start checking "country of origin" of everything you buy.

Personally, I am avoiding almost everything grown in China at this point. I wasn't always that way, but the more I've researched this issue, the more convinced I have become that avoiding China-based food products is a rational, commonsense strategy for avoiding the very kind of toxic chemicals and heavy metals that are causing "cancer villages" to appear across China.

Bottom line: If China hopes to continue exporting agricultural products, it must embark in a massive environmental crackdown campaign and stop the poisoning of its nation. Word is already starting to spread, and people everywhere are checking labels and avoiding foods from China. It's only going to get worse, to the point where China will see a crash in its agricultural exports, unless it makes radical and lasting changes to environmental regulations enforcement.

The future of clean food: GREENHOUSES

I'd like to also point out where this is all headed. Thanks to chemtrails (experimental spraying in the atmosphere), factory waste, the fluoride contamination of irrigation waters and other factors, food grown in the open environment is going to become increasingly contaminated. Also, consider this: The trade winds blow air pollution from China straight to the USA, where much of it gets dumped on U.S. soils. Yes, China exports a portion of its pollution to the United States. This alone is reason enough to demand China clean up its act.

The answer to all this is food grown indoors, in controlled environments. By growing food indoors (in a greenhouse), you largely avoid the fallout from chemtrails, coal-fired power plants and industrial factory pollution.

But it's crucial that this food be grown with a clean, off-the-grid water source such as a clean well or even rainwater collection (very expensive). Otherwise, if you're using city water to grow crops, you're effectively spraying those crops with fluoride, chlorine, and in many cases trace levels of pharmaceuticals and other chemicals that the city water supply doesn't remove.

Growing food in a greenhouse year-round practically requires that you invest in a greenhouse that can open its roof. Otherwise, crops overheat in the summer months. What this does is reduce the amount of air pollution falling on crops, but it obviously does not eliminate it.

I have investigated this issue in some detail, and a surprisingly affordable solution for retractable roof greenhouses is offered by Cravo Equipment Ltd..

Unfortunately, this company caters mostly to large, commercial-scale growers and not residential greenhouses. But they have installed retractable roof greenhouses that literally cover dozens of acres of crops, including avocados in Texas, Tomatoes in Mexico, and everything else you can think of. Their roofs are made of a fiber, sort of like a commercial-grade showed curtain, allowing them to be easily opened and closed using a system of cables. They aren't air-tight, however, so in the Northern USA or Canada, a different solution is needed in the winter months.

Ultimately: Grow your own

Over the next two years, you're going to see me focusing a LOT more editorial effort on gardening and food production. I've come to realize that the only sure way to produce truly clean food is to grow it yourself. Only then can you be 100% confident of what's going into that food.

I'm planning on investigating growing systems, including hydroponic systems, aquaculture systems (which produce fish and plants, together) and greenhouse solutions.

I'm also going to run lab tests on home-grown produce to see just how clean we can get these crops by using clean well water and soils that have never been sprayed with chemical pesticides or herbicides.

The ultimate goal of this is to learn and share as much information as possible on how to easily grow your own food while keeping it as simple as possible. I'll be using soil amendments like kelp, manure and compost. This will all be done on camera and presented in a series of instructional videos posted online for free.

Until then, be sure to check the country of origin of all the food you buy. To be on the safe side, avoid anything grown in China. Or if you do eat foods grown in China, ask the packager / manufacturer for lab test results to make sure it's clean.

Source:  http://www.naturalnews.com/039212_China_pollution_cancer_villages.html