Love Really Can Cure a Broken Heart

It’s already known that oxytocin exposure brings greater heart health but researchers have just found that oxytocin infusion reduces cell deaths in an injured heart & reduces inflammation that can slow healing. Other than going into labor, oxytocin is produced via skin-to-skin contact with another human being - simple touch and closeness. Contact with animals has some beneficial effect as well. Basic Research in Cardiology (Epub ahead of print)

ADHD? No, it's NDD!

Experts say as kids today are losing touch with nature, they're also suffering from serious, long-term consequences, now named Nature Deficient Disorder, NDD. Would you be more likely to find your child playing outdoors or sitting in front of a TV? On average, Australian children spend 6 hours a day playing videogames, watching TV, or sitting in front of a computer & less than 5 minutes outdoors -- a complete switch from a generation ago. Why the change? As outdoor play among children has dropped 50% over the last 20 years, health problems are on the rise. Child obesity rates are > 2x - an epidemic that could cost the health system $100 billion each year. Studies have also linked time outdoors to better grades, concentration, self-esteem and imagination & it's even been shown to reduce symptoms of ADHD.

Rise in Induced Births Worries Doctors

A study reported in Sydney Morning Herald today found 1/3 pregnant women in NSW has her labour induced - a rise of >15% in past 10 years - with 1/2 of inductions done without a medical reason. Inducing labour, where women are given drugs such as oxytocin or prostaglandin to stimulate the cervix and start contractions, can increase the chances of a caesarean deliver or cause complications for both mother and baby. Both drugs also make labour more painful b/c contractions are stronger and longer, leading women to require more analgesia and more time to recover after the birth. The study also found that inductions in private hospitals had increased from 18% to 27%.

Avoid These 6 Foods for a Healthy Start to 2010

1. Canned Tomatoes: expert: Fredrick vom Saal, PhD, an endocrinologist at the University of Missouri who studies bisphenol-A: resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. The acidity of tomatoes causes BPA to leach into your food.
2. Grain-fed Beef: Cattle were designed to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. A recent study found that grain-fed beef contained abnormally high levels of trans fats and low levels of Omega 3 oils compared to grass-fed beef.
3. Microwave Popcorn: Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize into your popcorn.
4. Non-organic Potatoes: Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes they're treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they're dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.
5. Farmed Salmon: Nature didn't intend for salmon to be crammed into pens, fed antibiotics to prevent infection & fed soy & poultry litter. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs & pesticides such as dioxin and DDT.
6. Conventional Apples: apples are one of the most highly sprayed fruit crops without a skin to peel off

Surprising Danger of Fying Through Clouds

Passengers on planes flying near or through lightning storms could be exposed to harmful levels of radiation. Lightning discharges can jolt airline passengers with a level of radiation equivalent to 400 chest X-rays. One study published in The Lancet found higher rates of certain cancers eg. skin cancer & breast cancer among pilots & crew members. The study’s authors theorized that the increased cancer risk was due to chromosome damage caused by excessive exposure to ionizing radiation. It was also shown that flight attendants who work an average of 16 weeks during pregnancy have nearly double the rate of miscarriage as their nonworking counterparts. So protect yourself if flying a lot by eating healthy food full of salads, vegetables and fruit (take your own food rather than airline food), take antioxidants especially resversatol found in fruit skins or Poly C powder; avoid other x-rays unless an emergency; after your flight swim in salt water, bathe in epsom salts or spend time in nature to remove radiation.

Healthy Food Alternatives

Instead of peanuts, try almonds, walnuts & pecans; instead of peanut butter, try ABC spread; instead of chocolate bars, try raw organic chocolate; instead of margarine, try butter, omega 3 spreads, olive oil, avocado, humus; instead of vegetable oil, try extra virgin olive oil & flaxseed oil; instead of rice bubbles & corn flakes, try puffed amaranth; instead of rice & cous cous, try quinoa; instead of soft drink mixes for alcohol, try organic/fresh juices; instead of salt, try Dulse or seaweed flakes; instead of cordial, try pure lemon concentrate or fresh lemons/limes/mint leaves in water jug; instead of juice, try coconut water; instead of salad seeds, try chia seeds; instead of milk, try almond milk; instead of soy sauce, try tamari; instead of white bread, try ancient grain bread; instead of sugar, try rapadura, agave syrup or stevia. All of these are available form your local health food store - ask & experiment!