Natural Health Articles on Dr. Mercola’s Members Only Blog

Face-Off With a Deadly Predator

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:38:56 GMT

National Geographic photographer Paul Nicklen narrates his scary videotaped encounter with a leopard seal in the Antarctic.

WHO Denies LInk Between Swine Flu Vaccine and Illnesses, Deaths

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:32:43 GMT

The World Health Organization said on Thursday the H1N1 vaccine had been cleared of blame for 41 deaths which health authorities worldwide had investigated after suspicions they might have been caused by the inoculation.

"Although some investigations are still ongoing, the results of the completed investigations reported to WHO have ruled out that the pandemic vaccine is the cause of death," said Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO's top vaccine expert.

Authorities in China have reported two deaths following inoculation and 15 cases of severe side effects, the WHO said in a statement. "Thorough investigation of these deaths, including a review of autopsy results, determined that underlying medical conditions were the cause of death and not the vaccine," it said of China.

Fewer than a dozen suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome had been reported following pandemic vaccination, she said. "Only a few of this Guillain-Barre may be linked to the pandemic vaccine .... and patients have recovered," she added.

Study Finds Link Between Childhood Abuse and Early Aging

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:29:29 GMT

Children who suffer physical or emotional abuse may be faced with accelerated cellular aging as adults, according to new research from Butler Hospital and Brown University.

The findings, which are published online in the journal Biological Psychiatry, draw a direct connection between childhood psychological trauma and accelerated reduction in the size of telomeres, the "caps" on the end of chromosomes that promote cellular stability. Telomeres typically shorten with age.

After measuring DNA extracted from blood samples of 31 adults, researchers found accelerated shortening of telomeres in those who reported suffering maltreatment as children, compared to study participants who did not.

"It tells us something. It gives us a hint that early developmental experiences may have profound effects on biology that can influence cellular mechanisms at a very basic level, said Dr. Audrey Tyrka, the study's lead author.

Antioxidant Found in Vegetables May Treat Cystic Fibrosis

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:27:03 GMT

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine discovered that a dietary antioxidant found in such vegetables as broccoli and cauliflower protects cells from damage caused by chemicals generated during the body's inflammatory response to infection and injury. The finding has implications for such inflammation-based disorders as cystic fibrosis (CF), diabetes, heart disease, and neurodegeneration.

New Guidelines Push Back Age for Pap Smears

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:24:14 GMT

Women in the United States should start cervical cancer screening at age 21 and most do not need an annual Pap smear, according to new guidelines from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) that aim to reduce the risk of unnecessary treatment.

The guidelines now say women younger than 30 should undergo cervical cancer screening once every two years instead of an annual exam. And those age 30 and older can be screened once every three years.

The recommendations are based on scientific evidence that suggests more frequent testing leads to overtreatment, which can harm a young woman's chances of carrying a child full term.

"Overtreatment of minor abnormal pap tests in young women and adolescents can lead to consequences such as preterm labor in some cases. It increases the risk," said Dr. Thomas Herzog of Columbia University in New York, who is chairman of an ACOG subcommittee on gynecologic cancers.

Obesity in Adolescence Can Dramatically Increase MS Risk

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:19:45 GMT

A woman's risk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) during her lifetime is doubled if she was obese at age 18, according to a study done by the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.

MS is a disease of the central nervous system. Up to half a million Americans have MS, with about 10,000 new cases diagnosed every year. While it is not usually fatal, it's a chronic unpredictable disease with no known cure. The symptoms, including dizziness, blurred vision, slurred speech, sexual dysfunction, incontinence, shakiness, loss of coordination, and weakness, can be debilitating when flare-ups occur.

Obesity at age 18 was associated with a greater than twofold increased risk of MS and a large body size at age 20 was associated with a 96 percent increased risk of MS, the study team found.

Study co-author Dr. Kassandra L. Munger said, "We have another disease which being obese is associated with." The findings provide another reason to encourage a healthy weight in young people.

Batch of H1N1 Vaccine Pulled Due to Severe Allergic Reactions

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:17:03 GMT

Health officials across Canada are being asked to hold back a batch of swine flu vaccine that appears to be causing higher rates of severe allergic reactions.

The vaccine's manufacturer, GlaxoSmithKline, is asking governments to stop using vaccine doses from one particular lot shipment issued in late October.

Manitoba health officials say they have noticed severe allergic reactions from the batch in question at a rate of one in 20,000. That's much higher than the normal rate of one in 100,000.

If You Have Insomnia You Need to Consider this Frequently Overlooked Cause

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:14:16 GMT

Patients who report depression are twice as likely to report insomnia as patients with no depression. This is among the first self-reported data that reproduces findings previously done in slow, expensive clinical research. Among 533 people reporting depression, 72 percent reported also having insomnia.

U.S. Government Liable for Katrina Flooding

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:10:40 GMT

The Army Corps of Engineers' failure to properly maintain a shipping channel linking New Orleans, Louisiana, to the Gulf of Mexico led to catastrophic flooding during Hurricane Katrina, a federal court ruled Wednesday.

"It is the court's opinion that the negligence of the Corps, in this instance by failing to maintain the MRGO properly, was not policy, but insouciance, myopia and short-sightedness," U.S. District Court Judge Stanwood Duval Jr. wrote in his lengthy ruling, referring to the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet canal.

"For over 40 years, the Corps was aware that the Reach II levee protecting Chalmette and the Lower Ninth Ward was going to be compromised by the continued deterioration of the MRGO ... The Corps had an opportunity to take a myriad of actions to alleviate this deterioration or rehabilitate this deterioration and failed to do so. Clearly, the expression 'talk is cheap' applies here."

Glaxo Buys Rights to Smoking Vaccine

Dr. Mercola — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:04:22 GMT

GlaxoSmithKline Plc. may pay more than $500 million for rights to an experimental drug that could help tobacco smokers permanently kick their addiction to nicotine.

Glaxo will initially pay Nabi Biopharmaceuticals $40 million for the drug, called NicVAX, while further payments will be conditional on development targets. Nabi will also receive a "double-digit" percentage of any potential sales of the treatment, which is in the second of three phases of clinical tests.

NicVAX blocks nicotine from reaching receptors in the brain by triggering the immune system to produce antibodies that bind to nicotine, making the molecules too large to cross the blood-brain barrier.

How Should You Treat Pet Allergies?

Dr. Becker — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:17:56 GMT

Humans aren't the only ones who suffer from allergies -- pets do too. In fact, in 2008, allergic reactions were the number 1 source of pet insurance claims for conditions that affect both humans and pets. In general, the same chronic illnesses, most of them due to unregulated inflammation, that affect people also affect pets.

Many vets will prescribe an immune system suppressant, such as steroids, to take care of allergies, but this comes with dangerous side effects and allows opportunistic pathogens to infect your pet. Instead, feed your pet a species appropriate diet, and many of the annoying problems will go away.

Cigarettes Harbor Pathogenic Bacteria

Dr. Mercola — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:15:09 GMT

Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, according to a new international study.

The research team describes the study as the first to show that cigarettes could be the direct source of exposure to a wide array of potentially pathogenic microbes among smokers and people exposed to secondhand smoke.

Bacteria of medical significance to humans were identified in all of the tested cigarettes and included:

Acinetobacter (associated with lung and blood infections)
Bacillus (some varieties associated with food borne illnesses and anthrax)
Burkholderia (some forms responsible for respiratory infections)
Clostridium (associated with foodborne illnesses and lung infections)
Klebsiella (associated with a variety of lung, blood and other infections)
Pseudomonas aeruginosa (an organism that causes 10 percent of all hospital-acquired infections in the United States)

Procter & Gamble Recalls 120,000 Vicks Nasal Sprays

Dr. Mercola — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:14:15 GMT

Procter & Gamble has announced it is recalling 120,000 bottles of Vicks Sinex nasal spray after traces of bacteria were found in the product.

Bottles shipped to the U.S., the UK and Germany are being recalled after traces of the B cepacia bacteria were found at a German plant. The bacteria can affect people with lung problems.

This is not the first time B cepacia has contaminated medicines. In 2005, there was an outbreak of pneumonia and other infections caused by a contaminated mouthwash, while in 2004 supplies of an over-the-counter nasal spray were withdrawn because of contamination.

The Antifibrotic Effects of Green Tea

Dr. Mercola — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:14:21 GMT

A research team examined the protective effect of green tea extract on hepatic fibrosis in rats.

The results showed that green tea prevented the development of hepatic fibrosis in a rat model of DMN-induced liver fibrosis. These results were confirmed both by liver histology and by measurement of hepatic hydroxyproline content, a marker of liver collagen deposition.

The researchers drew the conclusion that green tea may protect liver cells and reduce the deposition of collagen fibers in the liver. Green tea therefore could provide a safe and effective strategy for improving hepatic fibrosis.

Africa Heading for Smoking Epidemic

Dr. Mercola — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 10:13:55 GMT

According to some researchers, tobacco addiction is rapidly increasing in Africa.

Dr Twalib Ngoma, president of the African Organization for Research and Training in Cancer (AORTIC), says that Africa is on the brink of a smoking epidemic.

One report has warned that African nations are set to undergo the highest increase in the rate of tobacco use among developing countries. More than half of African countries will double tobacco use within 12 years if current trends continue.