Secret History of Using Lead in Gasoline

A still-relevant article from 2000 in The Nation describes how just under a century ago, General Motors, Du Pont and Standard Oil (now known Exxon) banded together to put lead, a known poison, into gasoline -- for the sake of profit.

According to The Nation article:

“Recently uncovered documents ... tell the true story of leaded gasoline, a sad and sordid commercial venture that would tiptoe its way quietly into the black hole of history if the captains of industry were to have their way ... The leaded gas adventurers have profitably polluted the world on a grand scale and, in the process, have provided a model for the asbestos, tobacco, pesticide and nuclear power industries, and other twentieth-century corporate bad actors, for evading clear evidence that their products are harmful by hiding behind the mantle of scientific uncertainty.”

The story began on December 9, 1921, when an engineer named Thomas Midgley Jr., reported his discovery that tetraethyl lead worked to reduce "knock" or "pinging" in internal-combustion engines.  It still has not entirely ended -- although lead was finally outlawed as an automotive gasoline additive in the U.S. in 1986, leaded gas is still being sold in the Third World, Eastern Europe and elsewhere.

Click the link below to read the full history.

Do We Really Need to Kill Animals to Live?

The human desire to eat meat has long presented an ethical question -- do we really need to kill animals to live? In addition, today, factory farms are also contributing to the climate-change catastrophe.

To many, this has made the idea of fake meat alluring. And this spring, scientists at the University of Missouri announced that after more than a decade of research, they had created the first soy product that not only can be flavored to taste like chicken but also breaks apart in your mouth the way chicken does.

According to Time Magazine:

“A meat analogue that not only looks like chicken but also works in your mouth like chicken has great market potential. According to the Soyfoods Association of North America, a Washington-based trade group, annual sales of soy products totaled $4.1 billion in 2008, up from $300 million in 1992. But ... Americans spend something like half a trillion dollars on real meat every year. A meaty-tasting alternative that could capture even a tenth of this market would make someone very rich.”

Courts Protect Aspartame From Nasty Naming

A judge in Britain has ruled that Asda, a UK grocery company, cannot legally describe the artificial sweetener aspartame as “nasty.”

This decision is a reversal of a previous ruling that “nasty” has only a vague meeting and does notconstitute “malicious falsehood.”

According to Food Politics:

“A spokeswoman for the maker of aspartame, Ajinomoto, said: ‘Asda can no longer deny that describing aspartame as a ‘nasty’ denigrates a safe and beneficial food ingredient.’”

In case you didn’t know, by the way, there have been more reports to the FDA for aspartame reactions than for all other food additives combined. 

What Pets Can Teach You About Marriage

Clinical psychologist Suzanne B. Phillips believes that your relationships with pets can teach you something about your relationship with a spouse or romantic partner.

With your pet, you very likely greet each other with excitement, overlook each other’s flaws and easily forgive bad behavior. Do you do the same with your spouse?

According to the New York Times:

“People often describe pets as undemanding and giving unconditional love, when the reality is that pets require a lot of time and attention, special foods and care. They throw up on rugs, pee in the house and steal food from countertops. Yet we accept their flaws because we love them so much.”

10 Tips to Create a High Performance Environment

Clean -- Dust, dirt and grime are sources of negative energy.

Organized -- When you’re organized you can find what you want when you want it.

Uncluttered -- Clutter distracts, irritates, and attracts more clutter.

Walls painted a color, not white -- White walls make you more prone to anxiety and depression.

Good natural lighting -- Light is energy.

Full spectrum lights -- You need full spectrum lighting to thrive.

Attractive, comfortable furniture -- Always choose comfortable furniture whose appearance you love.

Healthy live plants or clean silk plants -- Plants bring the outdoors inside.

Interesting, colorful art -- Art can lift your spirits and your energy.

Mementos -- Mementos hold the energy of the memory associated with them.

Can This Savory Herb Make Grilled Meat Safer?

Cooking meat at high temperatures creates toxins called heterocyclic amines, which have been linked to cancers. Studies show that adding rosemary to meat prior to grilling, frying, broiling or barbecuing reduces heterocyclic amines.

In one study, researchers tested extracts of rosemary on ground beef patties. The higher the concentration of the extract, the greater the reduction in heterocyclic amines -- sometimes by over 90 percent.

According to the New York Times:

“Scientists attribute this to specific antioxidants in rosemary: rosmarinic acid, carnosol and carnosic acid. Another study two years ago compared several marinades and found that the one that was most protective was a Caribbean mixture, which, they wrote, ‘contained considerable amounts’ of the same three antioxidants.”

Obesity Takes Toll After 40

A new finding suggests that obesity may affect your health the most after age 40.

A study compared medications taken by normal weight, overweight and obese Americans ages 25 to 70. While obese people of all ages took slightly more medications than those of normal weight, the differences were mainly among adults 40 and older.

According to the New York Times:

“For example, 28.7 percent of obese men and 25.2 percent of normal weight men ages 25 to 39 took medications. But among those 40 to 54, 60 percent of obese men were on medication, compared with 39.3 percent of men of average weight.”

The 10 Oldest Trees in the World

Environmental Graffiti has assembled a list of the oldest trees in the world:

1. Methuselah Alley

Methuselah is a 4,800-year-old great basin bristle-cone pine, located in Methuselah Alley, Nevada.

2. Sarv-e-Abarkooh

The Sarv-e-Abarkooh is a 4,000 year old cypress tree located at Abarkooh in Iran.

3. Llangernyw yew

Yew trees are common in cemeteries and known for their longevity, but this Welsh tree is an extreme example, coming it at close 4,000 years.

4. Alerce

In Chile can be found the oldest Patagonian cypress, also known as the 'alerce', at a youthful 3,600 years of age.

5. The Senator

The bald cypress in Florida known as the 'Senator' is estimated to be 3,400-3,500 years old.

6. Patriarca de Floresta

A 'Patriarca de Floresta' tree in Brazil is at least 3,000 years old.

7. Alishan Sacred Tree

The 'Alishan Sacred Tree' of Taiwan, also believed to have been 3,000 years old, collapsed on July 1, 1997 following heavy rainstorms.

8. Chestnut of 100 Horses

The oldest known chestnut tree in the world -- known as the "tree of 100 horses" -- is found on the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily. It is thought to be somewhere between 2,000 and 4,000 years old.

9. The General Sherman

The 'General Sherman' is a giant sequoia in Sequoia National Park that stands 275 feet tall. It is believed to be between 2,300 and 2,700 years old.

10. The Jhomon Sugi tree

The Jhomon Sugi tree in Japan could be as young as 2,170 years or as old as 7,200.

Exercise for Kids -- Tips for Parents

Here are some tips on getting your child fit from U.S. News & World Report:

Encourage a little bit at a time. Minutes spent playing kickball can add up over the course of a day.

Advocate for well-maintained, safe sidewalks and bike paths in your neighborhood.  Volunteer to supervise the use of school facilities after hours. Children are more likely to want to play outside if it's safe.

Practice what you preach. It's not hard to find activities the whole family can do together.

Don't underestimate the value of some video games. So-called "active-play" video games can encourage regular exercise.

Don't let other activities or physical disabilities limit your child. All children need exercise every day.

U.S. Government Allowed Gulf Oil Spill to Happen

The U.S. regulators who were responsible for oversight of drilling in the Gulf of Mexico accepted meals, tickets to sporting events and gifts from at least one oil company. A new report offers further evidence that the Minerals Management Service has what has been described as a culture of lax oversight and cozy ties to industry.

You can click on The Star link below to see some of the devastating effects the oil spill has had on wildlife.

The problem was not confined to the MMS.  In 2007, a British Petroleum refinery in Indiana was allowed to continue to dump mercury into Lake Michigan by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. A permit exempted a BP plant from a  federal regulation limiting mercury discharges into the Great Lakes.

The New York Times reports:

“In mid-2008, a minerals agency employee conducted four inspections on drilling platforms when he was also negotiating a job with the drilling company ... And an inspector ... may have been under the influence of [crystal methamphetamine] during an inspection.”
But there are even more downright criminal activities taking place right now. The CNN video above discusses the health problems suffered by the clean-up workers, and the fact that BP is strongly discouraging any type of protective gear, such as respirators and even rubber gloves!

In the video, Kerry Kennedy mentions that the average age at the time of death of workers who cleaned up after the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill was 51! Today, all those clean-up workers are DEAD!

Seems BP is far more worried about their PR, buying up search terms on Google and other search engines, than protecting the health and welfare of their clean-up crews...

Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that the "U.S. EPA has quietly released a full list of ingredients in the two controversial dispersants BP PLC is using to combat the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, following weeks of complaints from members of Congress and public health advocates that the dispersant manufacturer had kept its complete formula a secret from the public."

This image is but one of literally hundreds of competing logos in LogoMyWay's BP logo contest. They write:

"I cant tell you how frustrated and upset we are about BP and how they are handling this oil disaster. Before this eruption of oil they had 17 violations. It's obvious this could have been prevented. This is the biggest environmental disaster we have ever faced in this country.

I think the (6000) creative logo designers at LogoMyWay should update the BP logo with a more suitable design and brand. The design community and the general public will vote on the winner of the redesign of the NEW BP LOGO."

To see all of the submitted logos, see LogoMyWay's contest page.

The U.S. is Sleepier Than Europe

Excessive sleepiness is more common in the U.S. than in Europe, a fact which could cause concerns for public health and safety in the U.S.

About 19.5 percent of U.S. adults reported having moderate to excessive sleepiness, with 11 percent reporting severe sleepiness. The prevalence of excessive daytime sleepiness in five European countries is only 15 percent.

According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine:

 “The study also found that nearly 18 percent of participants reported falling asleep or being drowsy in situations that required a high level of concentration, such as during meetings or conversations ... These results raise public safety concerns, particularly regarding the potential for workplace injuries and drowsy driving accidents related to excessive sleepiness.”

Your Brain Can Control Cholesterol Levels

Researchers have found that cholesterol is partially regulated by your brain, rather than by what you eat.

Cholesterol is “remotely controlled” by the hunger hormone ghrelin, which controls the level of cholesterol released by the liver.

The Telegraph reports:

“Ghrelin inhibits a chemical in the brain that regulates calorie intake and energy expenditure. When the team blocked the chemical, they found it increased cholesterol in the mice -- suggesting it was the most important part of the ‘remote control’ system.”

Does the Internet Make You Smarter?

Digital media have made the creation and sharing of text, sound, and pictures cheap and global. But most people making use of it produce nothing more than an endless stream of mediocrity, which has lead to alarmed predictions of incipient intellectual collapse.

Of course, that's what always happens with an increase in access to media. As Gutenberg's press spread through Europe, it came with a flood of contemporary literature, most of it mediocre. But the eventual result was new norms caused by abundant literature -- novels, newspapers, scientific journals, and the separation of fiction and non-fiction, all of which had the effect of increasing, rather than decreasing, the intellectual range of society.

Clay Shirkey, writing in The Wall Street Journal, opines:

“We are living through a similar explosion of publishing capability today ... Wikipedia took the idea of peer review and applied it to volunteers on a global scale, becoming the most important English reference work in less than 10 years ... Similarly, open source software, created without managerial control of the workers or ownership of the product, has been critical to the spread of the Web.”

Reading is not a natural act; neither is using a computer. Literate societies invest extraordinary resources training children to read. Now is the time to determine what response should shape the use of digital tools.

Amazing Reasons that Prove Humans are Unique

Robert Sapolsky, world renowned professor of neurology, discusses the uniqueness of humans. A few of the topics he covers include aggression, theory of mind, the golden rule and pleasure. There are many human behaviors which the rest of the animal kingdom would consider bizarre.

Findings Could Alter Breast Cancer Care

A new study finds that for certain women, a lumpectomy, now a standard treatment for breast cancer, may not be necessary. The surgery does not prolong survival or prevent recurrence of the cancer.

Another study also showed that a single dose of radiation, delivered directly to the site of the tumor right after a lumpectomy, was as effective six weeks of daily radiation treatments, the current standard practice.

The New York Times reports:

“There is some controversy about whether women should be treated at all for certain early breast abnormalities that some experts say may never hurt them. But if a woman is to be treated, doctors would agree the treatment should be as painless and convenient as possible while retaining effectiveness.”

The 9 Worst Places for Your Health

MSNBC lists some surprisingly bad locations for your health, and the best places to optimize it:

1. Worst place to keep your toothbrush -- the bathroom sink

There are 3.2 million microbes per square inch in the average toilet bowl, and all of those germs are propelled out every time you flush, settling on the floor and the sink.  Keep your toothbrush behind closed doors in the medicine cabinet or a nearby cupboard.

2. Worst place to stash sneakers and flip-flops -- the bedroom closet

Shoes track in allergens and contaminants.  Leave your shoes by the front door.

3. Worst place to fall asleep -- under piles of blankets

Being overheated can keep you from sleeping.  Let your feet stick out from under your blankets.

4. Worst place to cool leftovers -- in the refrigerator

Placing hot leftovers directly in the fridge can cause uneven cooling and possibly food poisoning. Leave food to cool on the counter for up to an hour after cooking, or divide it into smaller containers that can cool faster before refrigerating.

5. Worst place to sit on an airplane -- the rear

The tail of the plane is where you’ll get the bumpiest ride.  Sit as close to the wing as you can.

6. Worst place to set your handbag -- the kitchen counter

Tests have showed up to 10,000 bacteria per square inch on purse bottoms.  Put your bag anywhere except where food is prepared or eaten.

7. Worst place to use a public bathroom -- the stall in the middle

The center stall has more bacteria.  Pick a stall all the way left or right.

8. Worst place to keep medicine -- the medicine cabinet

The temperature in a bathroom can get well above the recommended storage temperatures for many common drugs. Keep medicine somewhere cool and dry, such as the pantry.

9. Worst place to use headphones -- on an airplane, train, or subway

You’re probably turning the volume up too high if you’re listening to headphones in a noisy environment. Listen wherever you don’t have to blast your music to enjoy it, or consider using noise-canceling headphones.

Face Lift Options: Take Years Off Without Going Under the Knife!

Face lift Alternatives
Not everyone is keen to undergo surgery in order to attain a more youthful look. For those who would rather not, there options to bring back your youthful appearance that don’t involve surgery. Obviously, non-surgical facelifts are those types of cosmetic face lift procedures which eliminate invasive techniques and provide what most hope to be comparable results to face lift surgery. There are a variety of face lift procedures to choose from, and the same is true for surgery-free facelifts.
Thread lifts, or feather lifts, are an alternative for people who aren’t totally squeamish against needles but are looking to avoid invasive surgical procedures. Thread lifts use FDA-approved barbed thread in order to make slightly loose skin taut beneath the surface and usually last five years on average. The price tag for thread lifts can be roughly $400 and up per thread. The usual who gets a thread lift is 45 and under and uses around 4 threads for every treatment area, bringing the cost to about $3200..
Acupressure techniques improve both the tone and texture of your skin, improving facial muscles and firming your skin to diminish signs of aging. Historically used in Asian countries for thousands of years, these techniques are meant to improve aging skin using natural techniques. These exact techniques, when done frequently over time, can reduce the need for surgical procedures and help you keep your youthful look for much longer
Botox is another effective face lift alternative for those seeking to avoid costly traditional face lift methods. Botox injections soften the look of wrinkles by relaxing the facial muscles through a series of injections. These small injections take just a few minutes to perform, don’t have a recovery period and the results can be seen for up to four months. Slight tenderness is normal, but it is minor and quickly vanishes post-procedure. The usual Botox session is around $400-$600.
Collagen Injections provide another face lift alternative, and simply involves infusing the skin with naturally occurring protein, evening out the facial tissues and lessening the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. If you’re looking for another choice, rather than collagen, both Radiesse and hyaluronic acid compounds are great options are thought to be safer than the substance and just as effective. The cost of these can range from $350 – $600 per session. Both Botox, Collagen and other injectable treatments are known as liquid facelifts.
Laser skin resurfacing is a surgery-free face lift alternative that gives comparable effects in relation to facelifts and other treatments intended to reverse or stop aging. Ideal candidates for this option are people with blemished skin that doesn’t necessarily sag but does appear to have sun spots and fine lines, especially around mucous membranes like the mouth and eyes. Dermabrasion and microdermabrasion are types of carefully managed skin injury that can be categorized within the area of skin resurfacing. Chemical peels fall within this realm as well.
Face creams are largely obtainable, both at smaller local shops as well as larger stores. These creams guarantee to do anything from remove and reverse wrinkles to take 20 years off your face, but only a handful are really effective. In reality, anti-aging and face creams are the least invasive alternatives, but they can be quite temporary in outcomes and can cost thousands of dollars over a short period in comparison to surgical techniques. These treatments also contain inflammatory and irritating components which may aggravate skin or bring about other problems. Should you opt to go with a face cream, pick one with ingredients such as retinal, kinetin, copper peptides, coenzyme Q10 and hydroxyl acids in large amounts; all of these components have had largely favorable reviews from others who wanted to turn back the aging process while avoiding surgery as well.

Lice Shampoo Important To Handling Infestation

There are many ways through which a child comes home with an infestation of lice. It might be school, a field trip with a hockey team, or a sleep over. However the children get a lice infestation, the bugs must be dealt with thoroughly and with a lice shampoo.
Head lice are a parasitic bug that infests the body, particularly parts of the body that have hair like the head. Hiding among hair follicles and clinging to them, they are not easy to shake off. They can be as small as a pinhead and hard to find, even if they are known to jump like the types of fleas that afflict dogs and cats.
The most common way for lice to be transferred from person to person is by contact. Children at schools often unwittingly share combs, hairbrushes, hats or other head gear, not aware that one of them might be infected. A lice infestation is usually a surprise to the shocked parents who will have to deal with it quickly.
For children, places such as day cares, nurseries and schools are the most common places that lice are picked up. The adults in each of these areas are trained to be wary of children sharing things. However, children seem to be naturally able to outwit the most watchful parents. And lice still manages to get around.
The only way to truly get rid of a lice infestation is to take care of all of an infected child’s belongings. This will include the child’s clothing that’s been worn around the time of infestation, as well as the bedding, mattresses and outer wear. Sometimes a mattress can be treated with a proper lice killing pesticide, and other times it has to be thrown out. Hot water will help to get rid of any lice in clothing and blankets.
While a lice shampoo is effective at killing each individual louse, it will not get rid of nits. Nits look like little oval balls attached to the hair follicle and are the larval stage of a louse. They will stick to hair and will not be washed away in a shampoo. If they aren’t removed manually, the infestation will begin again.
Removing nits isn’t difficult but it can be very tedious and time consuming. Fortunately, many lice shampoo manufacturers understand. They probably have children too. That’s why their shampoo kits will sometimes come with a pair of tweezers and a plastic magnifying glass, to help parents find and pull out each individual nit. Nits must be removed if an infestation is to be completely dealt with.
From the time when humans wore furs and animal skins and huddled together for warmth, to when they moved into tightly packed cities and began to take public transportation, lice have been a part of our lives. It’s important to treat a lice infestation thoroughly, but also to explain to children how necessary it is to not share personal items. A lice shampoo will help but other measures need to be taken, as well.

Tips For Gay Holidays To Australia

When you’re in Australia you are rarely far from experiences that will excite you as never before. For the wine connoisseur, try going to Yarra, Coal River or Swan Valleys. Visit the wineries and their tasting rooms to experience first-hand the contrast between a smooth white and smoky red. Excitement junkies can go diving on the Great Barrier Reef in Queensland or Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia.
Throughout Australia, the pristine and breathtaking scenery is awe-inspiring. Tourists from around the globe flock to Australia to experience its beauty. Miles and miles of untouched wilderness await you, along with mountains and brilliant beaches.
Australia is home to one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world: Sydney. From the grandeur of the Sydney Opera House to boho galleries and fine dining; from the North and South Coast beaches to tropical environmentsin Sydney, the gay traveler is just steps away from action and new experiences at every turn. Museums, art galleries, zoos, gourmet dining, first-rate shopping, spas and sporting events”these are just a few of the diversions you can find in this historic city. Be sure to grab a copy of the Sydney Star Observer (Sydney’s gay newspaper) for information on the local scene, including nightlife and clubs. Perfect for a gay romantic getaway too.
Oh, and don’t forget the cuisine”from purely Australian, to Asian, with a generous helping of Mediterranean, French and other exotic offerings, there is enough to satisfy the most discerning palate.
Australia is located in the Southern Hemisphere, its seasons are upside down from those of the Northern Hemisphere. Summer in Australia takes place December through February. Australia is a very big continent, so check with your travel agent for weather information about your particular time of travel and your destination.
Australia welcomes its visitors with diverse accommodations: bed-and-breakfast inns, romantic getaways, relaxing spas, hotels and hostels, making

Prostate Health – Essential Vitamins That Should Be Aware Of In Keeping A Healthy Prostate

Men are commonly known to ignore symptoms of diseases and condition that may threaten their lives. This is exactly the reason why there are several men suffer from experiencing symptoms of prostate health problems that include difficulty and weak urinating. These symptoms can also be annoying especially while you sleep because you can feel the urgency of urinating more often. It sound great disadvantages to men that needs to wake up early in the morning to prepare for work or for other tasks that they have to deal with.
But, there are numerous vitamins that can aid you evade such condition and it is indeed vital in order for you to know of these vitamins like Beta carotene, Selenium, Magnesium, Vitamin K2, Vitamin C, Vitamin B6, Zinc and Vitamin E.
If possible you have to see your doctor to ask for vitamin prescription that will help you prevent prostate health problems as well as other health conditions. There are men that are not in favor of taking any vitamins, instead they use to drink alcoholic beverages more often and this what exactly irritate their prostate as well as this can also cause several various diseases such as hypertension, kidney conditions, hepatitis, and more depending on how worst the things that they usually do that is great disadvantage to their health.
Come to think of it, vitamins can never lessen your being a man in fact it can make your existence longer which you can benefit a lot as well as your family. In fact what is taking vitamins compared to taking alcoholic drinks right? Having a wine or beer every night is not bad at all, the thing is that you have to control it, you don’t have to get drunk every night to enjoy a beer or a wine.
Always do remember that this beverage has no healthy contents that will help you aid health problems. So, you have to take your family into consideration in whatever things you are into. By doing this thing you can surely seek for vitamins to make a healthier living for your benefit and of course for the benefit of your family as well.

Discover the Causes of Dark Circles and the Solutions

Unless the idea of being a zombie sounds good to you, it is typical that you will abhor the idea of having dark circles around your eyes. In this regard, many are on the look for some information about the causes of dark circles so they can prevent the problem even before it starts to eat one’s self-esteem.
Know the factors behind dark under eye circles
There are actually a lot of factors which will lead someone to experience the trouble given by dark circles situated under the eyes. The biggest factor here is hereditary. Normally, this is something which you get from your parents. On the other hand, there are some people who may have it because of fatigue or the lack of sleep. The moment when you do not have enough rest, it is typical for you to look paler than usual therefore the veins located under the eyes will become more prominent. Moreover, some of the causes may be the bone structure, the use of a particular medication, too much sun exposure, improper diet and nutrition, and hormonal changes.
What are you able to Do now you Know the common Causes of Dark Circles
In case you understand that your mom and pop are essentially why you have those dark circles, it won’t help to dislike your folks. Of course, you can not select your parents! What you can do is to make certain you have enough sleep every day. But if you simply can’t, simply make it a point that you can fit the word “healthy”. It’s a must for you to drink 10 cups of water every day. It’s also crucial to consume quality food, especially those that are high in vitamin A.
Know the Solutions
Since you know now that you can’t blame the causes of dark circles for what is happening to you, it is important to gear yourself with the information about the remedies to get rid of those dark circles. Of course, you will never get the help you need through those makeups, but you can use them for cover up. You can opt for natural methods such as the use of cucumber or potato slices, which should be crunched together with mint leaves or teabags. This trick will allow your skin to become lighter. In case you have the cash to spare, there are topical creams which tend to be effective in getting rid of this problem.

What to Expect from a Substance Abuse Treatment Center

Having the courage to admit you have a problem and then seeking help at a substance abuse treatment center is the best thing you could ever do for yourself. Substance abuse is hurting both you and your family. Seeking help is showing that you care about yourself and everyone around you.
This also means that you are willing to accept help from a substance abuse treatment center and willingness is what will make the treatment successful. One thing that may give you more courage is realizing there are thousands of people that have substance abuse problems and never seek help.
If you feel that a private, luxury is the best choice for you, then call Cliffside Malibu anytime at 1- 800-501-1988. A good and effective substance abuse treatment center addresses all the aspects of substance abuse rehab.
The patients also go through several therapy sessions to restore their mind and spirit giving them strength for further recovery from drug rehab. The ultimate goal of the drug detox process is to help the patient return to their former selves and to embrace the next day with hope and strength not fear and embarrassment. At the Cliffside Malibu substance abuse treatment center, your drug detox is in a safe and supportive environment.
For example, teaching drug addicts life skills to make them active members of society again. The entire substance abuse treatment program has to address the emotional and spiritual aspects as well. There must be a comfortable environment where the patient can feel at ease.
An intervention is when your friends and family force you to see your problems and then lay down an ultimatum. Many times interventions and substance abuse rehab treatments go hand in hand; meaning without intervention there cannot be successful treatments.
Cliffside Malibu provides both interventions, to make drug addicts realize they need help, and drug treatments, once they want help. Once you admit you have a problem and enter into a substance abuse treatment center you have every reason to expect to return to your life.

Aid Prostate Enlargement Through Prostate Health Diet

To have a healthy and balanced diet definitely plays a vital role in maintaining a good health. Aside from that, this can also be a great means in letting your prostate stay on good health which is absolutely necessary for in order for you not to experience prostate health problems signs in the coming days and also for you to prevent experiencing prostate cancer that is very popular at present to those men who are aging fifty years and above. This is normally experience by those who disregard the symptoms that occurs at the young age and also for those who do not want to take vitamins and even food that is advisable for prostate health rather than of choosing to take foods and drinks that can cause irritation to the prostate like soda, tea, liquor and salty and spicy foods.
There are approximately sixteen different supplements that you can add on your diet for your prostate health. Yet, you can constantly begin with the one that you utilized already. Listed below are some of the supplements that you can take:
Beta-sitosterol – in the herbs pygeum and palmetto, this is one of the major ingredient. This is can be acquire from sugar cane pulp and also you can have this by means of capsule dose, that can give you an efficient dose to get rid of your enlarged prostate.
Fish oil or Flax seed – it has more omega-3 rather than of omega-6 which allows you to have a higher tendencies to acquire prostate cancer.
Ionic Minerals – prostate necessarily needs minerals. To add this in your diet for prostate health is very important because you can never have a good prostate health without numerous number of minerals and also your common diet cannot provide what you need.
There are as well as vitamins that you need to take in order for you to get rid of prostate enlargement, and this includes vitamin D and E. You might as well as have herbal supplements that are available in the market, but be sure that you consult first your doctor before taking it.

How You Can Cure Abscess Tooth With Natural Remedies

Seeking to cure abscess tooth could be challenging after the problem have progressed even more. An abscess tooth can be light with only a small infection, or it may be progressive – entering not only the mouth, but your whole body. The primary phase of an abscess takes place on the outside layers of the teeth at the protective coating known as enamel. Bacteria which naturally occur within the mouth start to attack the enamel and could eventually weaken, and crack with a small hole. There may be only mild hurting at this time. Sensitivity to hot and cold contents, in addition to soreness once the tooth is tapped are usually popular indicators.
Once done, they advance to the 2nd phase within your dentin. By discharging acids, the bacteria enter deeper inside your tooth. Finally reaching the innermost core of your teeth where the root and nerves give the tooth with life-supplying blood. Once bacteria have reached the nerve, the affliction will be so intense that regular behavior and working might be disturbed. Bacteria could build rapidly, and will begin to invade bordering tissue, ligaments, or bone. It is the reason why you need to cure abscess tooth right away, despite mild conditions.
Within a hardest instance, the germs enter the blood stream via the inside of the tooth and move gently to the rest of the body, in which they attack different organs. This could cause a condition considered sepsis, or an infection of your blood stream, and does cause death suppose the infection keeps untreated. In such point, a person may call for more than a dental care professional to help cure abscess tooth as a result of its risks.
“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”, we have all heard this saying. Suppose you are afflicted by bad breath, tooth decay, gingivitis, plaque buildup, or abscessed teeth, there is a solution to your problems. Disregarding how small your oral health issues may be, good dental attention and using the proper dental solutions will be your ounce ofPrevent abscess tooth and keep complications in their tracks through switching your dental care regime. Avoid the additives and chemicals which have assisted to produce the problems that you have got.
A great alternative to cure abscess tooth is through all-natural dental products. All natural spearmint, peppermint and almond oils make a powerful trio – teaming up to kill bacteria in the mouth naturally. Long recognized for its anti-bacterial properties, peppermint is at the forefront of the battle, helping to wipe out bacteria that their source. Struggling year in and year out with the same painful trips to the dentist for long, costly procedures can be prevented simply with good daily oral care and regular check ups.
The foundations to victory in the battle against an abscessed tooth plus most oral issues are hidden within nature. Reducing the bacteria which leads to the condition could be the 1st place to start, and particular varieties of peppermint and spearmint oils are clinically proved to be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial. With these solutions to finalize your oral practices, you could cure abscess tooth, plus prevent further teeth risks due to bacteria within your mouth.
Oral care can considerably influence your general health. Fortify your oral health with beneficial products made with organic and essential oils. Know how natural toothpastes, mouthwashes and other remedies can secure you against canker sores, bad breath, gingivitis and even gum disease

IBS Syndrome

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a painful condition that causes one or more of these symptoms within the abdomen; diarrhea, constipation, cramping and bloating. IBS affects the Large Intestine where stool is stored. Although IBS is very painful, it is not a disease. It is called a functional disorder, which means that the Large Intestine is not functioning properly, which causes the discomfort within the abdomen. Women are known to show the symptoms of IBS more than men. Some of these women may notice an increase in their symptoms during their menstral cycle.
IBS is a disease that can easily be misdiagnosed because there currently is no laboratory test or imaging test that doctors can use to help diagnose it. IBS symptoms are the main driver for diagnosis and this makes a doctor’s task more difficult since the disease shares so many characteristics with other illnesses. IBS is often mistaken for a number of other diseases including infectious diseases, parasites, food allergies, or lactose intolerance. IBS symptoms also closely mimic the symptoms of a patient with celiac disease.
The role of diet is very important in the cause and relief of irritable bowel syndrome. Certain foods such as milk can cause diarrhea while others like fruit and soda can cause bloating and abdominal cramping.
There are several common causes of IBS, which includes stress, anxiety, certain types of food, depression, hormonal changes in women and using certain types of medications such as antibiotics. Unfortunately, there are no significant cures for IBS, however the disease can be treated naturally by using herbs and supplements. I would like to share several natural, yet effective treatment for IBS sufferers.
Stress is another possible cause of irritable bowel syndrome. Even though stress in and of itself might not be the cause, it can aggravate the symptoms during periods of higher stress and while a person is trying to adapt to a significant change in their life. Half of people who will deal with irritable bowel syndrome are under 35 years of age and young women are more at risk. Women may be more at risk because of hormonal changes related to menstruation.
Although IBS is very painful it does not cause any long lasting damage to the colon.

How You Can Cure Abscess Tooth With Natural Remedies

Seeking to cure abscess tooth could be challenging after the problem have progressed even more. An abscess tooth can be light with only a small infection, or it may be progressive – entering not only the mouth, but your whole body. The primary phase of an abscess takes place on the outside layers of the teeth at the protective coating known as enamel. Bacteria which naturally occur within the mouth start to attack the enamel and could eventually weaken, and crack with a small hole. There may be only mild hurting at this time. Sensitivity to hot and cold contents, in addition to soreness once the tooth is tapped are usually popular indicators.
Once done, they advance to the 2nd phase within your dentin. By discharging acids, the bacteria enter deeper inside your tooth. Finally reaching the innermost core of your teeth where the root and nerves give the tooth with life-supplying blood. Once bacteria have reached the nerve, the affliction will be so intense that regular behavior and working might be disturbed. Bacteria could build rapidly, and will begin to invade bordering tissue, ligaments, or bone. It is the reason why you need to cure abscess tooth right away, despite mild conditions.
Within a hardest instance, the germs enter the blood stream via the inside of the tooth and move gently to the rest of the body, in which they attack different organs. This could cause a condition considered sepsis, or an infection of your blood stream, and does cause death suppose the infection keeps untreated. In such point, a person may call for more than a dental care professional to help cure abscess tooth as a result of its risks.
&#8220;An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure&#8221;, we have all heard this saying. Suppose you are afflicted by bad breath, tooth decay, gingivitis, plaque buildup, or abscessed teeth, there is a solution to your problems. Disregarding how small your oral health issues may be, good dental attention and using the proper dental solutions will be your ounce of prevention and <noindex><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.oramd.com/periodontal-disease.htm" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outbound/article/www.oramd.com');">cure abscess tooth</a></noindex>. Prevent abscess tooth and keep complications in their tracks through switching your dental care regime. Avoid the additives and chemicals which have assisted to produce the problems that you have got.
A great alternative to cure abscess tooth is through all-natural dental products. All natural spearmint, peppermint and almond oils make a powerful trio &#8211; teaming up to kill bacteria in the mouth naturally. Long recognized for its anti-bacterial properties, peppermint is at the forefront of the battle, helping to wipe out bacteria that their source. Struggling year in and year out with the same painful trips to the dentist for long, costly procedures can be prevented simply with good daily oral care and regular check ups.
The foundations to victory in the battle against an abscessed tooth plus most oral issues are hidden within nature. Reducing the bacteria which leads to the condition could be the 1st place to start, and particular varieties of peppermint and spearmint oils are clinically proved to be anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial. With these solutions to finalize your oral practices, you could cure abscess tooth, plus prevent further teeth risks due to bacteria within your mouth.
Oral care can considerably influence your general health. Fortify your oral health with beneficial products made with organic and essential oils. Know how natural toothpastes, mouthwashes and other remedies can secure you against canker sores, bad breath, gingivitis and even gum disease through

Two All Natural Breakfast Ideas.

For a few years, my kids had almost the same breakfast every morning – cheerios in soy milk, occasionally with a piece of fruit on the side. We didn’t do dairy and I didn’t want them to have sugar, so this seemed the best option to me at the time. They loved this breakfast.

Awhile back, I was looking for a healthier option to this breakfast. I was reading some things about soy that concerned me, especially since my kids were having it every single day – and I was also looking for ways to increase their fruit and veggie intake.

So here are 2 ideas I eventually came up with and now they’re staples that my kids beg for in the morning! They haven’t asked for either cheerios or soy milk in quite awhile.

Idea 1: 
Fruit smoothie – blend a few ripe bananas with water, add another fruit – strawberry, mango, date… the possibility is endless. A plain banana based smoothie is actually more delicious than one would think. You don’t *have* to add yogurt or soy or dairy or protein powders in there! It’s good all by itself. (I would argue, that it’s BETTER all by itself). :)

Idea 2: 
Banana milk and fruit cereal bowl. Blend 2-3 bananas with enough water to make a milk-like consistency, pour into a bowl of diced fruit pieces and little berries. You can add a few nuts too if you want, but fruit alone digests better in your stomach. It looks VERY attractive because the banana milk is light yellow and the fruit pieces are very colorful! My kids’ favorite fruits to go in their cereal are the berries – blueberries, raspberries, blackberries.

A Healthy Diet Increases Fertility

Lots of women want to get pregnant fast. They rely heavily on knowing their ovulation period through charting their period, knowing their daily basal body temperature, testing with ovulation predictor kits and so on, but they often forget one of the most basic factors for getting pregnant. That is, having a healthy diet.

Diet is known by many as cutting food intake to remain thin, but it’s a common misconception. A healthy diet is taking the right foods in the right amounts. Having a healthy can have a positive impact on women who want to be fertile.

Know Your Ideal Weight

It’s not healthy being obese or underweight, especially if you want to get pregnant. It can have a profound effect in your reproductive health.

Most obese and undernourished women experience irregular menstrual cycles, which can affect a woman’s ovulation. A woman who does not ovulate regularly will have difficulty in getting pregnant because they can’t track when their most fertile days are.

So it is important to have a healthy diet if you want to get pregnant easily. It’s helpful to cut out smoking, drinking and taking prohibited drugs entirely. You also need to have enough nutrients, vitamins and minerals in your body. Exercising regularly also helps. Doing these things should increase your fertility.

Whole Grains

Meals composed of whole grains like brown rice, whole wheat, oats and other carbohydrate rich foods are essential to include in your healthy diet. These foods can give you a ton of energy and other important vitamins such as B and E which are needed to induce better cell production, hormonal balance and promote healthy eggs and sperm as well.

Protein Rich Foods

Another essential food for your diet to are dairy products, specifically the full-fat variety. These foods are rich in calcium which helps to develop your nervous system, your bones and your healthy blood.

Compared to low fat products, these products can boost a woman’s fertility by eating the right amount of it daily. Also don’t forget to include fish such as salmon, mackerel and sardines in your diet. These fishes are full of omega 3 and omega 6 which are usually known as good fats that can improve your blood flow in the reprodcutive system as well as boost the quality and speed of sperm.

Eating lean red meat can also aid in enhancing your fertility by preventing anemia, ovulation problems and lack of red blood cells.

Green Leafy Vegetables Are Healthy for You

Eating green leafy vegetables supplies your body with folic acid. This nutrient is essential to create healthy sperm and can defend the ovaries to avoid having neural tube defects during the early term of pregnancy. It also has iron and vitamin C, two items that enhance the quality of sperm and keep you healthy.

Eating the foods mentioned above in the right amounts is a very healthy diet to increase fertility and can also boost your wellness. Don’t forget to avoid having vices like smoking and drinking. Having a healthy lifestyle can help you with your conception goal.

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This has been a guest post by pregnancy coach Amy King. You can visit her web site by clicking one of the links in the article above.

The Myth of Loose Skin?

Have you noticed how when people who are overweight lose a bunch of weight in a short time period, they seem to have flaps of loose skin leftover that seems to sag and stay on forever?

I’m not really overweight but I did have twins in 2001. I’m very petite (4′11″, started out probably around 100 lbs at the beginning of the pregnancy) so I got extreeeeeeemely stretched out by the end. Afterwards, even though I lost the 70 lbs I gained, I still had this huge fold of skin on my tummy that has never gone away in 6 years.

At least, I really thought it was mostly skin. Everybody said so.

Now that and working out more, I’ve been wondering if this flap of “skin” would always be there. Almost everybody I talked to about it said yes, unless I had surgery (which is not an option for me).

How depressing.

And then, a few days ago I came across this article:

It made so much sense to me, and it gave me hope. The guy really sounds like he knows what he’s talking about. Basically, the gist of the article is that skin is thinner than paper. So all that “loose skin” is really not just skin but a layer of fat. And fat CAN be gotten rid of with proper diet and exercise! And the skin will adjust. So, read it and tell me what you guys think. It sure gave me hope for my “twin skin” problem!

Oh, and if anyone out there (Ryan? Anybody?) has tips on what specific exercises to do to work on the tummy fat, please give me suggestions. I’ve been doing lots of crunches and cardio and need more ideas.

A Way to Shut Down The Fat Gene?

On Monday February 26, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) held a press conference that put the spotlight upon several chain restaurants which offer single-course menu items each loaded with 2,000 calories or more. In their March issue of the Nutrition Action Healthletter, the article titled  detailed the caloric and fat content of these dishes. Many contained over a day’s requirement of calories and more than two days worth of fat. CSPI Executive Director Michael Jacobson is pushing for city, state, and federal laws requiring nutrition information on chain restaurant menus.

In response to this report, Philadelphia City Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown (pictured at left) proposed a measure requiring chain restaurants that operate within the city to provide nutrition information for their menu items. Required information includes caloric content, fat, carbohydrate and sodium. The proposition has been praised by CSPI as well as by Sara Solomon of Temple University’s Center for Obesity Research and Education. “Knowledge, if not power, is at least progress,” stated Solomon, in regards to fighting the obesity epidemic.

Says Councilwoman Brown, “Consumers want to know.” And by all indications, she’s absolutely right. Customers who were interviewed on the street by Philly’s ABC news affiliate seemed to whole-heartedly support her new proposal. As they exited chain restaurants, they were asked if knowing the caloric content of the dishes would affect how they order. One young woman from Ridley Park said, ” If I knew what was in [the food items], and the calorie intake, would I change my mind? Absolutely.”

A WPVI reporter placed calls to members of the Philadelphia’s restaurant industry. He received no response. (I imagine that the restauranteurs are all busy getting in contact with the NRA — no, not the gun people… The NationalRestaurant Association — to learn what their collective answer should be. I also imagine that their answer will have much more to do with the well-being of their restaurants’ profits than with the health and well-being of their customers.)

What do you think? Would you support a menu labelling proposal if your city representative suggested it?

Scary Reasons to Buy Organic Milk

The other day, I got a press release in which the first sentence read: “According to a new study just published in ADSA’s (American Dairy Science Association) Journal of Dairy Science, organic milk has no nutritional advantage when compared with conventional milk.”

I could just see the headlines. “Organic Milk: Why Bother?”

So I decided to investigate the study. Turns out, it has little to do with nutrition, and its findings are unclear. Even its title is confusing: “Survey of the fatty acid composition of retail milk differing in label claims based on production management practices.” (Journal of Dairy Science 93: 1918-1925).

Huh? The study in a nutshell: The researchers tested 292 random samples of three different kinds of milk: conventionally produced milk, milk labeled “rbST-free,” and milk labeled “organic.” They measured for levels of fatty acids, and found that the FA levels in all three kinds of milk were virtually the same.

How you get from that finding to the conclusion that “Organic milk has no nutritional advantage” is totally beyond me.

Getty Images

What’s rbST and do we want this stuff in our milk?
In conventional dairy farms, cows can be treated with something called recombinant bovine somatotropin, or rbST for short. It’s a genetically engineered version of a naturally occurring hormone that stimulates milk production. It’s injected into dairy cows to make them produce more milk, and doing so increases the cows’ risk for the painful inflammation called mastitis, among other health problems. The treatment for mastitis is antibiotics, including penicillin (10% of us, including me, are allergic to penicillin). Recently, a team of distinguished doctors concluded that treating mastitis with antibiotics increases antibiotic resistance that can be transferred to humans—which, they said, is “an extremely dangerous, and growing, problem.” Antibiotic resistance is the reason dangerous, even lethal, bacterial infections like MRSA are so scary—the bacteria don’t respond to traditional antibiotic treatments.

And there’s another potential health risk from having rbST in our milk supply. Some researchers believe it increases human levels of insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which is linked in some studies to increased rates of certain cancers, including cancers of the colon, breast, and prostate.

At this point, I should probably mention that Monsanto developed rbST, and helped fund the Journal of Dairy Science nutrition study. And I should also point out that Canada, the European Union, Australia, and New Zealand ban its use.

FDA Approves Injectable Osteoporosis Drug

Since there are no pills to remember to take, Prolia will help ensure that osteoporosis patients get their medication, and the new drug may prove easier to use than other injectable options, says Dr. Siris. Reclast, for instance, requires doctors to have an infusion chair in their office and requires a test for kidney problems before each dose. Neither of those is necessary with Prolia.

“The idea that I can, at the end of a visit, pull out a syringe, swab some alcohol on a patients’ deltoid muscle, and do it myself without a nurse is attractive to me,” she says.

Prolia will also be the first biologic sold directly to primary care physicians (other than vaccines).

“The other biologic agents used today in medicine are prescribed by specialists such as rheumatologists, endocrinologists, hematologists, and oncologists,” says Nancy Lane, MD, the director of the Center for Healthy Aging at the University of California, Davis. “But for the most part [postmenopausal osteoporosis] is treated by primary care physicians. So this will be an injection in the physician’s office—like a flu shot.”

It is not clear whether Prolia is stronger or more effective than existing osteoporosis drugs, Dr. Lane says.

In the clinical trials submitted to the FDA, the most commonly reported side effects were various types of pain (including back pain), high cholesterol levels, and urinary bladder infections. Rare but more serious side effects included decreased blood calcium levels, infections, the skin infection cellulitis, and eczema. Prolia may also contribute to a severe bone disease (osteonecrosis) that affects the jaw, the FDA noted.

The bone-weakening cells targeted by Prolia also play a role in immunity, so the drug “has the potential to affect multiple layers of the immune system,” according to the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

“It is also not known whether it will be safe in patients who are taking other biologic agents, like those with rheumatoid arthritis,” says Dr. Lane.

The FDA will require patients who are considering Prolia to receive a guide that explains the risks of the drug.

FDA Approves Injectable Osteoporosis Drug

Primary-care doctors now have a new—and potentially more convenient—tool to fight the bone disease osteoporosis.

On Tuesday the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved a new drug, Prolia (denosumab), to promote bone strength and prevent fractures in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis who are at high risk.

Women at high risk for fractures include those who have already suffered an osteoporosis-related fracture or who haven’t had success with other osteoporosis treatments. Roughly half of all women over age 50 will experience an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime, according to the National Institutes of Health.

Prolia, the first osteoporosis drug of its kind, works by blocking a type of cell that breaks down bone. Unlike most osteoporosis drugs, which come in a pill or are delivered through a skin patch, Prolia is injected by a doctor every six months. 'It’s always wonderful for clinicians and patients to have more options,” says Ethel Siris, MD, the director of the Osteoporosis Center at Columbia University Medical Center, in New York. “It’s a very potent agent and it is pretty clear that the reduction in fracture risk is quite robust.”

Dr. Siris was one of the researchers on a key study of nearly 8,000 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis that served as the basis for the FDA’s approval.

During the three-year study—which was funded by the drug’s manufacturer, Amgen—the women who took Prolia were less likely than a placebo group to experience spine, hip, and other bone fractures. Roughly 2% of the women in the Prolia group suffered a spine fracture, for instance, compared to about 7% in the placebo group. (Dr. Siris, the past president of the National Osteoporosis Foundation, has served on a paid advisory board for Amgen.)

Prolia isn’t the first injectable osteoporosis drug. Two bisphosphonatemedications, Reclast and Boniva, are delivered intravenously in a doctor’s office. Two other drugs, Forteo and Miacalcin, require self-injections every day and every other day, respectively.

Prolia is a new type of injectable drug, however. It’s the first biologic medication to be approved for the treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Biologics, which are genetically engineered versions of human proteins (rather than synthetic chemicals), are also used to treat conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.