Health & Wellness

Go to hospital; instead of needed painkillers get salt water and Hep C

In a scary case that makes it even more worrying to go to hospital, a medical worker injected the painkillers intended for patients into herself, then filled the used syringes with saline solution and injected the patients with that, exposing them to Hep C.

Risk factors for preventable death

According to a Harvard University study of 2005 data, tobacco smoking ranked as the highest risk factor with 436,000 to 500,000 attributed preventable deaths, followed by high blood pressure (372,000 to 414,000), obesity (188,000 to 237,000), physical inactivity (164,000 to 222,000), high blood glucose (163,000 to 217,000), high LDL cholesterol (94,000 to 124,000) and high salt intake (97,000 to 107,000).

The other risk factors were alcohol use; low polyunsaturated fatty acids; low fruits and vegetables intake and alcohol use.

High levels of EMF or electro-magnet fields in hybrids and full electric vehicles

An interesting comment was posted on my blog post "Electric cars, are they the best way to reduce greenhouse gases?" The reader commented: "Independent studies have shown high levels of EMF or electro-magnet fields in hybrids and full electric vehicles. Conventional gas vehicles are actually better for our health then we think. EMF is known to have side effects from long term exposures."

Making wieners is also contributing to making H1N1 swine flu

Interesting tweet from someone following Downtoearthfood on Twitter: "making wieners is also contributing to making H1N1 swine flu". As I reported in my blog post "Swine flu linked to modern factory farming of pigs" of June 22, evidence suggests that swine flu has come from pig factory farms.

Swine flu

Things have been hectic so I haven't done any blogging over the past few days. I have been busy working on remodel and expansion plans (more about this in the near future).

Swine flu linked to modern factory farming of pigs

According to a May 8, 2009 article published on Natural Foods Merchandiser's website (Natural Foods Merchandiser is the leading natural products industry publication) there is a link between the modern factory farming methods for pigs and the Swine Flu outbreak. The story states: "Mounting evidence suggests that the recent outbreak of swine flu, or the H1N1 virus, may have begun as a result of massive-scale farming practices.

Another incidence of E coli 0157 contamination

In the news is another outbreak of E coli 0157:H7 that has resulted in the recall of Nestle’s refrigerated cookie dough.

E coli 157 lives in the intestines of cattle. It is often found that the cause of E coli contamination in vegetables, as in the case of the spinach contamination of a few years ago, is due to contamination from cattle feces. E coli does not occur naturally in vegetables, it only gets on them due to contamination either in the fields, in processing, or distribution.

The China Study - eat a plant based diet to avoid and reverse disease

There is a startling new book called “The China Study” written by Dr. Colin Campbell that contains the answers to the nation’s health care crisis. And what is that answer? It is not compulsory health care, it is not the spending of billions of dollars on hospitals.

FDA gains power to regulate Big Tobacco

In front page news today is a story about a landmark victory over the tobacco industry. The article “Senate grants FDA power to regulate Big Tobacco”, published by the Honolulu Advertiser, tells of how the federal government will likely soon have the power to regulate the manufacturing and marketing of cigarettes, and will gain the power to stop the addition of things like “cherry” flavoring to cigarettes, and the use of marketing targeted towards young people, such as the infamous Joe Camel. Quoting from the article:

Obesity Epidemic: Overeating is to Blame

Those who are loathe to exercise can take heart. Blame the refrigerator—rather than not going to the gym—for your ever-expanding waistlines. This is according to a new United Nations study released at an international obesity conference in Amsterdam this past May.