Health
New Sperm Gene Discovery Could Lead to Male Birth Control
Published on May 25, 2012 by IBTimesTV
Women have many options when it comes to birth control, while men don’t have any. But all that could change.
Researchers have discovered a gene that is essential to the production of sperm.
Scientists at the University of Edinburgh found that the gene, called Katnal1, causes temporary infertility in male mice when blocked.
The team gave mice a chemical called ENU that triggers genetic mutations. They then bred the mice to see if any of them became infertile, isolated the impotent mice, and backtracked through their genetic code to identify which gene was disrupted by ENU.
The team identified that Katnal1 is used to regulate a structure known as microtubules, which are the parts of sperm needed for nutrients and support.
According to the study, this gene could be key in developing birth control for men, and better understanding male infertility.
With this key bit of information, scientists say a non-hormonal contraceptive for men may be just five to 10 years away.
Skin From Heart Attack Patients Transformed Into Beating Heart Cells
Published on May 25, 2012 by TheDailyConversation
Scientists have turned skin tissue from heart attack patients into fresh, beating heart cells in a first step towards a new therapy for the condition that may eventually help people who survive heart attacks, but are severely debilitated by damage to the organ.
Read the full story here:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/may/23/skin-heart-attack-beating-heart…
Red alert for humanity: Chemical damage can be inherited by offspring through unlimited generations
By Mike Adams,
(NaturalNews) Groundbreaking new science reveals that the harmful effects of exposure to synthetic chemicals are passed from generation to generation via “epigenetics,” causing measurable damage to future generations even if those offspring are never exposed to the original chemical. The phenomenon of “Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance” (ETI) has now been demonstrated in live animals, and if the implications of this research are fully understood, it would force human civilization to radically…
Fish consumption lowers risk of colorectal cancers
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Holistic Health
Discover the super-food power of noni
By PF Louis,
(NaturalNews) You may have seen ads promoting noni juice or heard about its health benefits and wondered if it’s for real. Hopefully, this article will shed some light on the subject of noni. Most of the hype comes from multi-level marketing (MLM) providers. Their product is usually the most expensive and most processed. Those noni juices are often first pureed, sometime frozen, and then sent off to be liquefied from concentrate. Usually they are flavored or sweetened. Pure noni juice isn’t…
Fructose makes you stupid; DHA makes you smart
(NaturalNews) A recent study in rats examined the effect of omega-3 fats (particularly DHA) and fructose on memory. Rats were trained to solve a maze and then given either a diet with omega-3 fats (DHA and flax seed oil) or one deficient in omega-3 fats. Each group was further divided into those also fed fructose in their drinking water or not. The group that was fed the fructose showed impairment of memory and took a longer time to solve the maze than prior to eating fructose. Those fed an omega…
Natural mosquito repellents
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Pet Health
Why is This Dangerous Infection on the Rise in Pets?
Posted By: Dr. Becker
The staphylococcus aureus bacteria is a normal strain of bacteria your pet normally harbors (as do people). It’s found on your dog’s or cat’s skin, mucous membranes, urogenital and gastrointestinal tracts.
When this normal bacteria undergoes a genetic mutation, it can become a pet’s worst nightmare. Instead of being a normal part of your pet’s healthy bacteria it can cause life threatening infection due to its resistance to even the strongest antibiotics, such as Methicillin. These infections are called Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, or “MRSA infections,”and are resistant to most antibiotic treatments.
As a result, they can lead to serious illness and even death.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a serious public health problem that is getting progressively worse and actually exacts a greater human death toll than “modern plagues” like AIDS.
Unfortunately, MRSA infections are also on the rise in our companion animals.
Typically, staph bacteria are relatively harmless. If the bacteria enter your pet’s body through a cut, it may cause an infection (staph bacteria is a common cause of skin infections) but even these are typically mild and can be easily treated. But unlike typical staph bacteria, MRSA is much more dangerous because it has become resistant to the broad-spectrum antibiotics commonly used to treat it, such as methicillin, oxacillin, penicillin and amoxicillin.
Why MRSA Poses a Threat to Your Dog or Cat
Antibiotics are one of the top two drugs prescribed by traditional veterinarians (steroids are the other).
As a holistic veterinarian, I am convinced antibiotics are over prescribed to the point of abuse in many conventional veterinary offices. Over prescribing antibiotics can set your pet up for a future allergic reaction to the drug. But worse, frequent and often unnecessary use of these drugs is causing antibiotic resistance in a growing number of bacteria strains.
When antibiotics are no longer effective against serious bacterial infections, life-threatening consequences are the result. MRSA is an example of a serious and sometimes fatal staph infection that is antibiotic resistant.
Your Pet’s Good Health Begins in Their Gut
By: Dr. Becker
Carnivores, omnivores and herbivores.
Chances are, the pets you care for fall into one of these three categories. And each type of pet has distinct nutritional needs.
It’s important to remember that no matter what your personal beliefs about food, you can’t change the DNA of your pets. They were designed by nature to consume certain types of food.
The Logic of Nature
Rabbits and horses are herbivores, or vegetarians.
They have very large front teeth (called incisors) to grasp vegetation. Their jaws shift from side to side to grind grasses and fibrous plant material on their large, flat molars.
The long gastrointestinal (GI) tracts of herbivores are designed to ferment these foodstuffs into usable nutrition.
Omnivores, such as bearded dragons, for example, are designed to chew and process both meat protein (insects) and plant material.
Dogs, cats and snakes are carnivores, with sharp, interlocking teeth designed to grasp prey.
Cats and snakes are obligate carnivores, which means they must consume a meat diet to maintain health, whereas dogs are scavenging carnivores, who, in addition to a meat based diet, can consume other types of foods without dire consequences.
By nature’s design, rabbits and horses were never intended to consume meat. Dogs and cats were not designed to eat or digest grains. So, as you would expect, when you feed your dog and cat companions foods they were not designed to eat, you’re asking for trouble.
But before we get to exactly what happens when your companions consume biologically inappropriate foods, you must understand two key points to overall health for people and animals alike:
- The gastrointestinal system must be healthy to avoid disease.
- The GI tract is the body’s number one barrier to disease and disease processes.
One Simple Step to Radically Boost Your Pet’s Immune System
By: Dr. Becker
At long last, the benefit of probiotics for your companion animals is receiving the attention it deserves in the traditional veterinary community.
Probiotic therapy has been scientifically studied and proved beneficial in the treatment of pets with diarrhea, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic renal disease, and pancreatitis.
Just as exciting are studies which indicate probiotics positively influence the development and health of your dog’s or cat’s immune system function.
According to Susan G. Wynn, DVM, of the Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee:
“… it is increasingly clear that manipulation of the ecology of the gastrointestinal tract has powerful systemic effects. Use of probiotics clearly enhances immune function in a number of species, including dogs and cats, and appears to have a role in the treatment of animals with certain gastrointestinal conditions.”
Dr. Wynn goes on to say the use of probiotics in humans in the treatment of recurrent urinary tract infections, the prevention and management of allergies, and other conditions, suggests further potential benefits for our four-legged companions.
The bad news? Unfortunately, the value of many commercially available probiotic products is questionable, at best. Read on to learn more about quality variations in probiotic products and what you can do to insure you’re giving your dog or cat a high-quality supplement.
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Positivity Mind and Body
Motivation to Pursue Dreams and Hopes: Understanding the Brain’s Reward System
Published on May 25, 2012 by UCtelevision
(Visit: http://www.uctv.tv/) Sheri Johnson, Professor of Psychology at UC Berkeley, explores neurobiological, cognitive, emotional, and social triggers of mania, with a focus on the reward system. Series: “UCSF Osher Mini Medical School for the Public” [5/2012] [Health and Medicine] [Show ID: 23798]
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Articles of Interest
Stray dog runs to Tibet with Chinese cyclists
Published on May 26, 2012 by itnnews
A dog with no home has run 1700km with some cyclists on their way to Tibet, after befriending them when they gave him a drumstick. Report by Louise Hulland.
Legislation may enable states to offer universal healthcare
A number of studies have concluded that state-run insurance systems would be cheaper for most people on an out-of-pocket basis than existing private insurance plans. (Chris O’Meara, Associated Press / April 27, 2012)
By David Lazarus
Universal coverage, Medicare for all, single payer — call it what you will. It’s clear that conservative forces are determined to prevent such a system from ever being introduced at the national level. So it’s up to the states.
The catch is that to make universal coverage work at the state level, you’d need some way to channel Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare funds into the system. At the moment, that’s difficult if not impossible.
But legislation quietly being drafted by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) would change that. It would create a mechanism for states to request federal funds after establishing their own health insurance programs.
If passed into law — admittedly a long shot with Republicans controlling the House of Representatives — McDermott’s State-Based Universal Healthcare Act would represent a game changer for medical coverage in the United States.
It would, for the first time, create a system under which a Medicare-for-all program could be rolled out on a state-by-state basis. In California’s case, it would make coverage available to the roughly 7 million people now lacking health insurance.
“This is a huge deal,” said Jamie Court, president of Consumer Watchdog, a Santa Monica advocacy group. “This is a lifeline for people who want to create a Medicare system at the state level.”
I learned of McDermott’s bill after getting my hands on documents he had sent to other members of Congress seeking support for the legislation.
McDermott’s office confirmed that the documents and legislation are real but declined to make the congressman available for comment until the bill is formally introduced, which could happen as soon as next week.
Kinsey Kiriakos, a spokesman for McDermott, said by email that the bill is intended to advance the goals of President Obama‘s healthcare reform law, which would extend coverage to about 30 million of the 50 million people nationwide without insurance.
The reform law is now under scrutiny by the U.S. Supreme Court, primarily because of its requirement that most people buy health insurance or face a modest tax penalty.
McDermott’s bill “is based on the congressman’s belief that the Affordable Care Act will be upheld and the congressman’s new bill is meant to achieve the overall goals of the Affordable Care Act while giving states the option to build an alternative single-payer system,” Kiriakos said.
California came close to building such a system in 2006 and again in 2008 when the Legislature passed bills laying the groundwork for statewide universal coverage. Then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed both bills.
Anti-vaccine backlash: Thousands refuse to enroll in Austin Community College
By Craig Stellpflug,
(NaturalNews) Administrators at the Austin Community College (ACC) admit that some 10,000 students have refused to enroll at ACC because of their vaccination requirements. Meanwhile, a Washington State rock band named The Refusers is storming Youtube with their latest hit “First do no harm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9y4Pq7lXAw Vaccine refusal is a basic human right that has been often challenged by the pro-vaccine “authorities” from the local well-meaning pediatrician to the government officials…
Congress votes down Sen. Durbin’s anti-supplement amendment, as well as Sen. Paul’s freedom of health speech amendment
(NaturalNews) A sneaky, eleventh-hour attempt by Senator Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) to essentially shut down the supplement industry alongside an amendment pertaining to prescription drug user fees has failed. In a vote of 77-20, the U.S. Senate voted to table Amendment No. 2127, which would have created “duplicative, unnecessary, and unexpected new regulations” for the supplement industry that could have resulted in many common supplements being pulled from store shelves. To the surprise of the entire…
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