Everyone needs vitamins, which are critical for the body. But for most people, the micronutrients we get from foods usually are adequate to prevent vitamin deficiency, which is rare in the United States. Some extra vitamins have proven benefits, such as vitamin B12 supplements for the elderly and folic acid for women of child-bearing age. And calcium and vitamin D in women over 65 appear to protect bone health.
But many people gobble down large doses of vitamins believing that they boost the body’s ability to fight cancer and heart disease. In addition to the more recent research, several reports in recent years have challenged the notion that vitamins are good for you.
This week researchers reported results from a large clinical trial of almost 15,000 male doctors taking vitamins E and C for a decade. The study showed no meaningful effect on cancer rates.
Another recent study found no benefit of vitamins for heart disease.
And recently, doctors at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center have said that vitamin C seems to protect not just healthy cells but cancer cells, too.
Despite a lack of evidence that vitamins actually work, most appear unwilling to give them up. Which is good because in some cases vitamins have been proven to work well for some. Everyone is different, as always consult your doctor prior to see if anything you are taking is necessary and works for you individually.
Recently I read an article on the affects of a Mother's depression on childrens injuries. The article in ScienceDaily says, infants and toddlers whose mothers are severely depressed are almost three times more likely to suffer accidental injuries than other children in the same age group, according to a new study.
The study's findings, published May 14 in the Advanced Access edition of the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, suggest that proper treatment for depression would improve not only the mothers' health, but the health of young children as well.
A likely cause for the link between severe maternal depression and young children's injury risk is that chronically depressed mothers may not appropriately safeguard the physical environments that children engage in. Another cause may be that symptoms of depression include inattention, poor concentration and irritability, which might lead to poor or inconsistent supervision and enforcement of safety-related rules.
Another article in ScienceDaily claims Young children whose mothers are depressed are more prone to behavioural problems and injury, suggested by US research published in Injury Prevention.
Children whose mothers scored persistently high marks on the depression scales were more than twice as likely to have been injured as those whose mothers had a low rating. And children whose mothers had a high rating were significantly more likely to have behavioural problems and to "act out." Boys were more at risk of this than girls.
And in a third article, A study conducted at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and nine other U.S. centers, evaluated the effects of maternal depression on children's development.
Found was that depressed mothers in general were less sensitive to their children, that their children displayed poorer verbal and language skills and that those children showed more problem behaviors. Children whose mothers were more sensitive, however, did better on our measures and behaved better regardless of their mothers' level of depression.
What this all leads down to is just how important mental and psychological health is to our over all health and the health of those closest to us. There is no doubt that a mother and child have a closer relationship than most, but in most cases I wouldn’t be surprised if a husband and wife living in close quarters experienced this same kind of affects. We need to begin taking seriously the effects of our psychological health and what it is doing to us. For the most part parents and adults alike believe they can handle it themselves and this is prove it is not worth handling when it is affecting those closest to you.
According to a Reuters article dated March 26, 2009 – U.S. researchers have found a safer way to coax human skin cells into embryonic-like stem cells.
What does this mean? Well the researchers feel this is taking a step closer to their potential in using stem cells as treatment for diseases.
A team at the University of Wisconsin has published their findings regarding the so-called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells.
In theory these iPS cells harness the unique qualities to create new treatments for a variety of medical conditions. According to the Reuters article, Induced pluripotent stem cells promise many of the possible therapeutic benefits of embryonic stem cells without the ethics controversy because, unlike embryonic stem cells, they can be created without destroying a human embryo.
In the future we can hope to see several methods come out for creating iPS cells, then scientists can start to look for the ones that provide the most consistent results. But for now it looks that President Barack Obama’s move to lift the Bush administration’s restriction on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research is the only move.
Lets keep up the good work guys and gals. I can’t wait to follow this story further as it develops.
In a recent article I read that a mere 1.5 percent of hospitals nationwide are using some kind of electronic health record system.
Now I wonder if this is a good thing or a bad thing? I understand not wanting too much of your personal information out on some kind of database for just anyone to access. But really people all of your information is out there, what would this change.
Recently I found out that most companies could easily obtain a credit report regarding any of their customers if they can show that you owe them some kind of money. Just like collection agencies can look at your credit report. And that holds tons of personal information, social security numbers, all you’re past addresses, etc. And not only that these people don’t care who you are and they don’t care about your information.
You wonder why there is such a problem with identity theft – all of our information is right there for whoever wants it.
Back on the subject of hospitals though – is it good or bad? On the other side it could be beneficial if you are in an accident that they can pull up some kind of record on you anywhere.
“The federal stimulus package recently signed into law contains $19 billion for hospitals to adopt the technology and incentives for doctors to use it, with the hope that getting data online will improve patient care and save time and money.”
Right now larger hospitals in urban areas and teaching hospitals are the ones most likely to have electronic records but recently announced wal-mart in their sams club locations will begin selling medical record software. I guess we’ll have to follow this to see if this will be a good addition or a bad move.
Who doesn’t love aromatherapy? Only those who’ve never used it of course! BUT, if you’re anything like me, you can appreciate and enjoy the pleasant aroma of a scented candle, a floral spray or perhaps a sensual scented oil massage.
But did you know that scents and oils could actually be beneficial to your health and well being?
I didn’t until I stumbled across a book on aromatherapy some time ago. I was so fascinated and intrigued by what I read that I just had to learn more.
What I discovered was that true aromatherapy isn’t just the “smell good” stuff you can buy at your local grocery or drug store. It’s actually considered to be a form of holistic alternative medicine.
So what is aromatherapy? It’s a technique that uses the body’s sense of smell to help boost your mood, relieve stress, energize and encourage better health. It’s also used to treat certain emotional and physical conditions.
Did you know the pure essential oils are the main ingredient in true aromatherapy? Synthetic or chemically produced scents don’t carry the health benefits of essential oils.
Essential oils are the pure “essence” of a plant and when used properly will provide both psychological and physical benefits.
For example, peppermint and eucalyptus essential oils are mentally stimulating. They can help you to maintain a clear focus. Try mixing this combination in water and then letting it steep in a pot over the stove, filling the whole house with the beautiful aroma. You’ll love the tingly sensation throughout your body.
Lavender and chamomile have the opposite effect. If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, these two refreshing scents will help you relax. For example, a nighttime massage with this combination and you’re off to la la land…
Are you feeling tired or lethargic? Try lemon and rosemary essential oils to revitalize your body.
My absolute favorites are aromatherapy bath salts, added to your warm bath water to help you relax. But whether your looking for something to perk ya up or relax ya before bed there is something natural and pleasant in your local selection of aromas.
Scared yet?
