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| Alternative Medicine in the News
November 2010 edition 100
published weekly |
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Stop the EU Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive
No matter where you are from you need to sign this petition Today!!
http://www.gopetition.com/petition/39757/sign.html
Published by Heidi Stevenson on Oct 12, 2010
Region: Europe
Target: European Union Committee on Petitions
Petition text:
We call on the European Parliament to stop the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive (THMPD), Directive 2004/24/EC, which is set to remove access to the vast majority of herbal medicinal products beginning 1 April 2011.
THMPD abridges the rights of each European citizen to self-determination in managing health. It goes far beyond reasonable controls over dangerous products, and enters the realm of coercion by limiting options for treating health issues.
The public's access to herbal products that have traditionally been freely available must continue uninterrupted.
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GM maize is destroying US rivers
NaturalNews.com
New research reveals that genetically-modified organisms (GMOs) are destroying both human health and the environment. According to Emma Rosi-Marshall from the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., GM corn crops are leeching a toxic bacterial gene into the environment, polluting waterways and rivers across the U.S.
More than 85 percent of the U.S. corn crop in 2009 was GM. This GM corn contains a gene called Bacillus thuriengensis (Bt) that has been injected into it to repels pests like the corn borer beetle. Each kernel of corn literally grows a pesticide protein inside it called Cry1Ab that deters and kill pests.
Besides the fact that eating such corn is obviously toxic, the residue of this built-in pesticide also ends up covering large swaths of U.S. farmland. After the corn is harvested, husks, stalks and other residue doused and bred with pesticides end up getting carried away by rain, snow and other environmental factors into nearby rivers and streams
"Our research adds to the growing body of evidence that corn crop byproducts can be dispersed throughout a stream network, and that the compounds associated with genetically modified crops, such as insecticidal proteins, can enter nearby water bodies," Rosi-Marshall is quoted as saying in a recent article in The Independent.
Tests revealed that every stream with detectable levels of GM pesticides was located within roughly 1,600 feet of a GM corn field. And roughly 90 percent of the streams and rivers in Iowa, Illinois and Indiana -- three states that grow large amounts of GM crops -- are located within this distance, indicating a serious problem.
"The tight linkage between corn fields and streams warrants further research into how corn byproducts, including Cry1Ab insecticidal proteins, potentially impact non-target ecosystems, such as streams and wetlands," said Dr. Rosi-Marshall.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.independent.co.uk/enviro...
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Homeopathic Family Medicine: Evidence Based Homeopathy
-- an eBook by DANA ULLMAN, MPH
This ebook is many books in one! First, this ebook provides the most comprehensive and up-to-description reference to and description of the 200+ clinical studies testing homeopathic medicines that have been published in peer-review journals. This information is VITAL for those people who wish to advocate for homeopathy and who want to back-up their advocacy for homeopathy with good scientific evidence. This information is also useful to homeopaths who want to print out a specific chapter on the patient's illness (although the patient is usually not skeptical of homeopathy, his or her spouse or other family member or neighbor may be skeptical, and giving the patient a chapter that verifies scientific efficacy of homeopathic medicines is a great way to educate people...and even get new patients!).
This ebook also provides detailed information on how to individualize the use of homeopathic medicines in the treatment of 100+ common ailments, along with reference to which are the most commonly indicated medicines for the common ailments.
Because this is an ebook, there are no shipping charges for it!
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Yoga & Meditation at Abha Light House
YOGA
Mondays - Wednesdays
5:30 - 6:30
Cost: Ksh 300
4 classes for Ksh 1000
MEDITATION
Tuesdays
6:30 - 7:30
Cost: free!
Welcome!
Call for information: 0710-620323 / 0733-895466
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The Dentist Who Cured Cancer
During the 1960s, a small town Texas dentist discovered a way to cure his terminal pancreatic cancer; he then proceeded to cure others of all kinds of cancers until the Medical Mafia struck him down. His name was William Donald Kelley, DDS, MS.
His procedure involved diet, heavy pancreatic enzyme dosing, and liver detoxing with coffee enemas. Dr. Kelley died in 2005 at the age of 79. His book, Curing the Incurable covers his therapy.
Kelley's Cancer Victory
When the doctors told Kelley he was about to die from fast spreading and devastating pancreatic cancer, his wife left him with no money and four small children. Kelley's mother came from Kansas to rescue him.
She threw out all the meats, junk food, cookies and candy that Kelley was addicted to. Then she fed him fresh grains, produce, and fruit, mostly raw. In three months, Kelley was up and about and working again.
That gave him a clue about diet and cancer. He read one of Max Gerson's books on diet and changed his diet forever.
Now he was healthier, but his cancer was still there. So he researched more on his own. Kelley found a book by John Beard, an early 20th Century Scottish embryologist who made the connection of pancreatic enzymes to cancer cells.
Beard noticed that when the fetus begins producing pancreatic enzymes, the placenta stops its cellular growth, and he wondered what that would do to cancer cells. He experimented by injecting cancerous animals and humans with pancreatic juices, and he cured them. Yet, nothing came of his successful experiments.
Kelley needed to try this for himself. He went to the local pharmacy and bought up as many pancreatic enzyme supplements as he could, and he proceeded to take heavy doses. He noticed progress on ridding cancer cells, but then he would get sick. When he stopped dosing, he would recover then proceed again. After dosing again with more cancer cells dying off, he would become ill again.
He realized that he was having Herxheimer or healing crisis reactions. Whenever dead cancer cells and their toxins were released after the enzymes tore up the cancer cell walls, the cancer cells were left vulnerable to the immune system.
So he incorporated daily liver cleanse coffee enemas to get off the Herxheimer roller coaster and became cancer free. Soon, the word spread about Kelley's miraculous self cure. Cancer patients from all over began flocking to him. His cure rate with all types of cancer was over 50%.
But Kelley was not satisfied. He first realized that many were deficient in enzyme activators produced in the small intestine. So he incorporated activators in some of his enzyme formulas.
Then he discovered that one diet didn't fit all with his methods. So he created metabolic typing to determine which diet best suits the individual for heavy metabolic proteolytic enzyme dosing. His cure rate went to 93%!
Medical Mafia Clamps Down
Kelley's dental license was suspended for five years when the AMA found out that a dentist was curing cancer. He was even thrown in jail briefly in 1969, forcing Kelley to practice in nearby Mexico.
After his high profile patient actor Steve McQueen died, national media jumped all over Dr. Kelley. He claimed that Steve's difficult mesothelioma lung cancer was cured, but the actor's insistence on a separate cosmetic surgery in the States led to his death.
Bitter and broken, Kelley called it quits after 20 years of curing thousands with cancer. Ironically, Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez, originally involved with Sloane-Kettering's effort to debunk Kelley, is praising Kelley and practicing his version of Kelley's protocol in NYC.
[Editor's Note: NaturalNews is strongly against the use of all forms of animal testing. We fully support implementation of humane medical experimentation that promotes the health and wellbeing of all living creatures.]
Sources for more information
The Real Cancer Outlaw: William Donald Kelley, DDS, MS
http://www.drkelley.info/articles/a...
Dr. Nicholas Gonzalez's website
http://www.dr-gonzalez.com/history_...
The Metabolic Institute http://www.themetabolicinstitute.com/
Enzyme Therapy
http://www.wellness.com/reference/h...
Where to Order Dr. Kelley`s Book, Curing the Incurable
http://www.federalobserver.com/cata...
Metabolic Typing Book Ordering Page
http://www.drkelley.info/articles/a...
Dr. Kelley`s Pancreatic Enzymes Order Page
http://www.drkelleyenzymes.com/
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FDA attacking chelation therapy for autism
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently sent warning letters to a handful of companies selling chelation therapy products that help to treat serious conditions like autism, Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's disease. Chelation agents remove toxic heavy metals from the body, which ultimately improves blood flow and restores good health. But according to the FDA, such substances are "unapproved drugs and devices" that cannot legally be sold for such purposes.
Even though thousands of people have used, and continue to use, chelation therapy to safely and successfully improve or reverse serious conditions, the FDA has decided that the products may be dangerous, despite a total lack of evidence to back this belief.
"We don't have evidence of a lot of adverse events, but [that] does not mean there are not health problems associated with them," Charles Lee from the FDA's division of new drugs and labeling compliance at the center for drug evaluation and research is quoted as saying in a recent Washington Post article. But that does not necessarily mean there are health problems associated with them, either.
Chelation therapies are commonly prescribed by many doctors to eliminate toxic substances like mercury, lead and aluminum from their patients' bodies. These harmful agents can build up in brain and muscle tissue, leading to various disorders and illnesses that conventional medicine has a difficult time understanding and explaining.
According to a 2007 survey conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of alternative medicine use, roughly 111,000 people over the age of 18 used some kind of chelation therapy between 2006 and 2007.
To learn more about the benefits of chelation therapy, check out this informative piece written by Dr. Julian Whitaker:
http://www.naturalnews.com/027338_c...
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40 UK children killed by MMR - and the true picture could be 10 times worse
27 October 2010
Forty children have died after a routine vaccination such as MMR and 2,100 more have suffered a serious reaction, UK health authorities have been forced to disclose this week - and these figures are just the tip of the iceberg.
Two of the vaccinated children have been left with permanent brain damage, and 1500 others have suffered neurological reactions, including 11 cases of brain inflammation and 13 cases of epilepsy and coma. Overall, there have been more than 2,100 adverse reactions to a childhood vaccine in the UK in the last seven years.
The UK's Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) was forced to reveal the figures following a request from a journalist under freedom of information legislation.
The true picture is likely to be far worse. The MHRA cases are only those that doctors have reported; if the doctor does not believe the vaccine has caused the reaction, he will not report it. It is suspected that just 10 per cent of all deaths and reactions from vaccines are ever reported; if so, this means that 400 children have died from a vaccine and 21,000 have suffered an adverse reaction in the UK alone. The true situation will be far worse in countries such as the US where childhood vaccination is compulsory.
Last month, the UK government was forced by a court to pay damages to a mother whose son was left with severe brain damage after an MMR vaccination. Another 500 similar cases are currently going through the UK courts.
These figures represent a major setback in the relationship between doctors and parents. Most parents have accepted the reassurances of doctors and health authorities that the vaccines are safe, and that they are doing the best for their child and the community.
Now, if things go wrong, they may be less inclined to believe the doctor's denials that the vaccine is to blame.
(Source: Sunday Times, October 24, 2010).
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Placebo fraud rocks the very foundation of modern medical science; thousands of clinical trials invalidated
(NaturalNews) You know all those thousands of clinical trials conducted over the last few decades comparing pharmaceuticals to placebo pills? Well, it turns out all those studies must now be completely thrown out as utterly non-scientific. And why? Because the placebos used in the studies weren't really placebos at all, rendering the studies scientifically invalid.
This is the conclusion from researchers at the University of California who published their findings in the October issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine. They reviewed 167 placebo-controlled trials published in peer-reviewed medical journals in 2008 and 2009 and found that 92 percent of those trials never even described the ingredients of their placebo pills.
Why is this important? Because placebo pills are supposed to be inert. But nothing is inert, it turns out. Even so-called "sugar pills" contain sugar, obviously. And sugar isn't inert. If you're running a clinical trial on diabetics, testing the effectiveness of a diabetes drug versus a placebo then obviously your clinical trial is going to make the diabetes drug look better than placebo if you use sugar pills as your placebo.
Some placebo pills use olive oil which may actually improve heart health. Other placebo pills use partially-hydrogenated oils which harm heart health. Yet only 8 percent of clinical trials bothered to list the placebo ingredients at all!
Stay with me on this placebo issue... because it gets even more bizarre...
There are no FDA rules regarding placebos in clinical trials
It turns out there are absolutely no FDA rules regarding the choice or composition of placebos used in clinical trials. Technically, a clinical trial director could use eye of newt or lizard's legs as placebo and would not even be required to mention such nefarious details in the trial results. That would cause trouble, trouble, boil and bubble! (Shakespeare reference for all you literary fans...)
We already know that clinical trials are rife with fraud. Most of the clinical trials used by pharmaceutical companies to win FDA approval of their drugs, for example, are funded by pharmaceutical companies. And it is a verifiable fact that most clinical trials tend to find results that favor the financial interests of whatever organization paid for them. So what's to stop Big Pharma from scheming up the perfect placebo that would harm patients just enough to make their own drugs look good by comparison?
Fact: Placebos are usually provided by the very same company funding the clinical trial! Do you detect any room for fraud in this equation?
How drug companies can fake clinical trials with selected placebo pills
Placebo performance strongly influences whether drugs are approved by the FDA, by the way. As the key piece of information on its regulatory approval decisions, the FDA wants to know whether a drug works better than placebo. That's the primary requirement! If they work even 5% better than placebo, they are said to be "efficacious" (meaning they "work"). This is true even if the placebo was selected and used specifically to make the drug look good by comparison.
You see, if there are no regulations or rules regarding placebo, then none of the placebo-controlled clinical trials are scientifically valid.
It's amazing how medical scientists will get rough and tough when attacking homeopathy, touting how their own medicine is "based on the gold standard of scientific evidence!" and yet when it really comes down to it, their scientific evidence is just a jug of quackery mixed with a pinch of wishful thinking and a wisp of pseudoscientific gobbledygook, all framed in the language of scientism by members of the FDA who wouldn't recognize real science if they tripped and fell into a vat full of it.
Big Pharma and the FDA have based their entire system of scientific evidence on a placebo fraud! And if the placebo isn't a placebo, then the scientific evidence isn't scientific.
Oh, but wait. They'll call it science because they wish the placebo to be a placebo. Yep -- the clinical researchers are now psychics, mediums and fortune tellers who simply decree that little pill of olive oil to "be a placebo!" while waving their hands over it in a gesture borrowed from David Copperfield.
James Randi may have never seen a psychic transmute lead into gold, but he's no doubt seen doctors transmute biochemically active substances into totally inert materials merely by wishing them so! It's so amazing!
And this brings me to the really interesting "how-to" part of this article...
How to make your own placebo just like clinical researchers do
Are you wondering how to make your own FDA-approved, scientifically validated placebo? It's easier than you think.
Step 1 - Find something shaped like a pill. It could be a pill full of olive oil, white sugar, palm oil, fluoridated water, chalk dust, synthetic chemicals or just about anything you can imagine.
Step 2 - Close your eyes and get ready to concentrate.
Step 3 - This is the important part - Repeat out loud five times while turning counter-clockwise, "I am a scientific researcher practicing evidence-based medicine!" You must say this until you really, truly believe it. If you don't believe it strongly enough, the placebo effect will be ruined.
Step 4 - Thrust your palm in the direction of the placebo pills and shout, at the top of your voice, "You are now placebo!" You may feel a shiver of energy coursing through your body. That's the power of placebo reaching out to the pills.
The process is now complete. You may now use these placebo pills in any clinical trial and expect full approval of such use by your colleagues, famous medical journals and FDA regulators. (This is not a joke. This is the state of the art today in conventional medicine.)
Hope also has a huge role to place in all this. The more you hope your placebos are really placebos, the better results you'll get. In fact, in reporting on this whole fiasco, the lead researcher of the study uncovering all this, Dr Beatric Golomb, said, "We can only hope that this hasn't seriously systematically affected medical treatment."
But of course it has. (And by the way, no disrespect toward Dr Golomb. She deserves kudos for being willing to tackle this subject which will no doubt make her very unpopular among the cult of Scientism as practiced by conventional medical researchers today.)
How to improve your clinical trial results
For improved results, try to use the most harmful placebo substances you can. For example, in real clinical trials involving AIDS patients -- who tend to be lactose intolerant -- researchers have used pills made of, guess what? Lactose!
That's sort of like running a clinical trial on a cure for heroin addiction and using heroin as the placebo, isn't it? Gee, somehow our drug worked "better than placebo." Funny how that works, isn't it?
And if you still don't get the results you want, just start inventing your own data like other clinical trial researchers do. Remember Dr Scott Reuben? This highly-respected clinical trial researcher faked at least twenty-one clinical trials for Big Pharma (http://www.naturalnews.com/028194_S...). His fraudulent clinical trials are still being cited to sell prescription medications!
Heck, who needs placebo when you can just invent the data?
Come to think of it, who needs science when you can just use anything you want and call it placebo in the first place?
Conventional medicine operates clinical trials in the same way that banks and securities firms handle mortgage documents. They all just sort of make things up as they go along, committing felony crimes on a daily basis while hoping nobody notices. On that note, check out this amazing story by Greg Hunter called The Perfect No-Prosecution Crime (http://usawatchdog.com/the-perfect-...).
Where on the skeptics when it comes to Big Pharma science fraud?
Seriously, you just gotta love the state of medical science today. I've never watched a more hilarious group of nincompoops reassure each other that they're all so scientific while practicing the most quack-ridden chicanery imaginable. The stuff being pulled off today in the name of Big Pharma's clinical trials makes psychic detectives and tarot card readers look downright scientifically gifted by comparison.
It really makes you wonder about so-called "skeptics," doesn't it? If they're skeptical of homeopathy, tarot cards, psychic mediums and people who claim they can levitate, I can at least understand the urge to ask tough questions about all these things. I ask tough questions, too, especially when people tell me they've seen ghosts or spirits coming back from the dead or other unexplained phenomena. (And I've already publicly denounced so-called "psychic surgery" which it quite obviously little more than sleight-of-hand trickery combined with animal blood.)
But most conventional skeptics never step out of bounds of their "safety zone" of popular topics for which skepticism may be safely expressed. They won't dare ask skeptical questions about the quack science backing the pharmaceutical industry, for example. Nor will they ask tough questions about vaccines, or mammography, or chemotherapy. And you'd be hard pressed to find anything more steeped in outright fraudulent quackery than the pharmaceutical industry as operated today (and the cancer branch of it in particular).
That's why I'm skeptical about the skeptics. If a skeptic doesn't question the loosey goosey pseudoscience practiced by Big Pharma, then they really have no credibility as a skeptic. You can't be selectively skeptical about some things but then a fall-for-anything fool on other scams just because they're backed by drug companies.
But getting back to this study in particular...
Abstract of the study
Here's some of the text from the abstract of this study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (http://www.annals.org/content/153/8...)
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Arthritis: Exercise and movement
http://www.wddty.com
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise was compared with stress management and treatment-as-usual for those with fibromyalgia.
Those who engaged in aerobic exercise showed the greatest improvement in pain levels, sleep patterns and feelings of depression as well as increased energy. The authors expressed surprise at this conclusion, since the subjects in the aerobic exercise group were the most sceptical about exercise as a form of treatment. At the four-year follow-up, the aerobic group was the one most likely to have carried on using exercise as a form of treatment.
T'ai-chi
T'ai-chi is a form of gentle exercise from China designed to relax the body, and to allow vital energy, or chi, to flow freely. Once it has been mastered in all its aspects, including deep, regular breathing, it can then be used to help alleviate symptoms, proponents say.
In all, there are 300 postures to learn, but the most important aspect of the technique is the spiritual development brought about by Chi Kung training, which involves standing in certain positions while using breathing and visualization to increase the flow of chi through the body.
Qigong
Qigong is similar to T'ai-chi in as much as it is a gentle exercise regime from China that seeks to improve the flow of chi, or life energy, through the body.
Proponents claim it has cured many conditions, including arthritis, but there is virtually no good, valid scientific evidence to support these claims. Instead, it should be viewed as a gentle way to improve general well-being and health.
The postures and movements of Qigong can be easily learnt from books and videos, and can be performed walking, standing, sitting in a wheelchair, or even lying down. And, as with T'ai-chi, it also involves visualization, deep breathing and exact movements. It's worth adding that if you suffer from dizzy spells, or are prone to bleeding, then Qigong is best avoided.
Yoga
Some hatha yoga advocates claim it offers a cure for arthritis if undertaken with a correct diet, and suggest this can be achieved within two months for early-stage arthritis, and five months for chronic cases.
They recommend a series of postures, or asanas, that will help arthritis, including (and here we give the English version of the posture): triangular, cow's face and jaw pose, tree pose, dance pose and plough pose.
While there are plenty of books around about yoga, it is as well to check with a qualified practitioner before starting yoga, as there have been occasions when more harm than good has been achieved, irrespective of what the yoga aficionados may claim.
Simple exercises
Walking
The most popular activity is a daily brisk walk, if you are physically up to it, or at least two or three times a week. You don't have to beat the world walking record on your first day; depending on the extent of your arthritis, set yourself easy and attainable targets, such as a walk to the third lamp-post down the road. Then, after this has been achieved a few times, extend your range to the fourth, and so on.
Eventually, you can start timing yourself, so your walk quickens. Some arthritis sufferers swear that sweat lubricates their joints!
Always wear sensible shoes for walking, or trainers, and loose, comfortable clothing. Before starting your walk, do a few simple stretching exercises to warm up first.
Swimming
Swimming is the ultimate low-impact exercise. And it's a medium that's not restricted to swimmers-non-swimmers can also benefit by just kicking their legs and making circular motions in the water with their arms.
Although it doesn't have the same bone-building qualities of walking or jogging, researchers say it does put enough force on the bones to strengthen them. A study by the Veterans Administration Medical Centre in Portland, Oregon examined men whose only exercise was swimming, and compared their bone density with men who did no exercise, and found that the swimmers had thicker bones.
Don't overdo it, however. Some found their arthritis worsened with the strenuous movements demanded of a swimming course. Instead, go at your own pace.
Cycling
Some swear by cycling-either in the open air or on an exercise bike at home-while others swear at it for having worsened their arthritis. Again, it's all a question of knowing your own limitations, and being kind to yourself.
Gardening
An ideal option for someone who isn't inclined to exercise regimes, but instead has always preferred pottering in the garden. Hoeing, weeding and light digging are all good bone-building activities that can help, provided you don't overdo things.
Gentle exercises at home
There's a range of gentle exercises you can do in your own living room, from stretching, rolling your head, pushing and pulling, that will all ease the joints. They've been taken from the book Arthritis: What Works (St Martin's Press) by Dava Sobel and Arthur Klein. Before starting any exercise, check with a qualified practitioner first.
For jaw pain: Mouth all the vowels-A-E-I-O-U-in an exaggerated manner to stretch the jaw muscles.
For neck pain : Do the head roll by tilting your head to the right as though you were trying to touch your ear to your shoulder, without lifting your shoulder. Then slowly circle your head forward until your chin reaches your chest. Then start circling back so that your left ear is close to your left shoulder. Finally, tilt your head back before returning to the normal position.
For shoulder pain : Stretch your shoulders by shrugging them, either one at a time or together.
For elbow pain : Let your arms rest straight down at your sides, with the palms facing the body. Bend and lift your elbows as you tuck your hands into your armpits. Also try to touch your thumbs to your shoulders.
For wrist pain: Rotate your wrist with your hand and forearm flat on a table or bed. Rotate your hand towards you as far as you can go, then rotate it back in the other direction.
For hand and finger pain : Rest your hand on a flat surface with the palm down. Spread your fingers as wide apart as they will go, then draw your fingers together again, keeping your hand flat.
For back pain : Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Bring one knee toward your chest as far as you can go. Return your knee to the starting position and then straighten your leg so it rests flat. Wobble your leg to relax, then return to the bent knee position. Repeat with the other leg.
For hip pain: Lie on your back, knees bent and feet flat. Straighten one leg and lift it as high as you can. Lower it slowly and repeat with the other leg. |
Too much TV, computer can ruin your child's mental health
Parents who allow their kids to watch their favorite shows and play their favorite video games every day may be damaging their mental health. According to a new study published in the journal Pediatrics, pre-teen children who spend a lot of time in front of television and computer screens every day are at a heightened risk of developing psychological problems, even if those children also participate in physical activities.
Based on an analysis of over 1,000 children between the ages of ten and eleven, researchers found that children who spend at least two hours a day in front of a screen are 60 percent more likely to have psychological problems than children who spend less or no time.
Earlier this year, a study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that really young children who watch lots of television are more likely to develop aggressive behavior (http://www.naturalnews.com/028096_t...). And just last month, Canadian researchers found that toddlers who watch television are more likely to have poor health and perform poorly in school by the time they turn age ten (http://www.naturalnews.com/029715_t...).
However, the new study adds even more serious problems to the mix. And the types of psychological problems observed in children who watch too much television and spend too much time on the computer are not necessarily minor ones.
"These are big-deal issues, like hyperactivity, difficulty with peers and friends, poor conduct and antisocial kinds of behavior," explained Dr. Alan Mendelsohn, an associate professor of pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine in New York City. And while slightly higher in mostly sedentary children, the risk for active and athletic children who watch a lot of television and play on the computer is still roughly 50 percent higher than children who do not.
"For parents, the key take-away is that TV and computer use may interfere with children's emotional well-being," added Mendelsohn.
Sources for this story include:
http://www.businessweek.com/lifesty...
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Mammograms produce more false positives than legitimate tumor detections in young women
Mammograms deliver overwhelmingly more false positive results than true positives in women under the age of 40, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
In a false positive result, a mammogram detects signs of a tumor that turns out to be non-cancerous or otherwise not dangerous to a woman's health.
"In a theoretical population of 10,000 women aged 35 to 39 years, 1,266 women who are screened will receive further workup, with 16 cancers detected and 1,250 women receiving a false-positive result," the researchers wrote.
"Harms need to be considered, including radiation exposure, because such exposure is more harmful in young women; the anxiety associated with false-positive findings on the initial examination; and costs associated with additional imaging."
The researchers examined the medical records of more than 117,000 U.S. women who got their first mammograms between the ages of 18 and 39. In the ensuing year, not a single woman under the age of 25 was diagnosed with breast cancer. For women between 35 and 39, 12.7 percent were called back for further tests but only 0.16 percent actually had cancer.
Because breast cancer rates in young women are so low, screening them is like "looking for a needle in a haystack," lead researcher Bonnie Yankaskas said.
Nonetheless, 29 percent of U.S. women between the ages of 30 and 40 say they have had at least one mammogram.
Reacting to the study, the American Cancer Society reiterated that it does not recommend screening in women under the age of 40.
"We have been concerned that some have been encouraging that screening begin at younger and younger ages, when the science does not support it as beneficial," chief medical officer Otis Brawley said.
Due to the risks associated with radiation and false positives, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force now only recommends screening for women aged 50 and older.
Sources for this story include: http://www.reuters.com/article/idUS... http://pagingdrgupta.blogs.cnn.com/....
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Medical Disclaimer:
The information contained within does not take the place of medical diagnosis or
prescription. See your health care provider in case of sickness.
Editorial Disclaimer: Publication of these articles are to promote food for thought. The opinions expressed in these articles may not be the opinion of editors.
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