Health & Wellness

Pop Quiz: For Breast Cancer Prevention, Collards, Carrots, or KFC?

Over the last month, while the Breast Cancer Awareness campaign was in full swing, some have questioned the effectiveness of what they call “pink washing,” or slapping everything from lipstick to a Ford Mustang with a pink ribbon and selling it in the name of breast cancer advocacy.

Less Meat = Less Heat (lots) + other goodies

Photo: Fresh fruits and vegetables

Big news recently is that the United Nations is advocating a vegan diet for the world in order to combat climate change, dwindling fresh water supplies, hunger and land change leading to biodiversity loss.

Cultivating Healthy Skepticism

I mentioned in the comments to a recent blog post titled "What Dietary Changes Inhibit Cancer in 100% of Cases?" that a reader wrote to share some concerns.

"Fun for You": Corporate doublespeak for "Bad for You"

Unless you have an addiction or a profit incentive, you probably know by now that soda is not good for your health. Soda delivers empty calories that you’re body doesn’t recognize as food, and which carry no nutritional value. Drinking soda on a regular basis is linked to tooth decay, obesity, diabetes, kidney problems, and a host of other health problems.

Another ground beef recall

In current news Reuters [1] reports that, "Some 390 tons of ground beef produced by a California meat packer, some of it nearly two years ago, is being recalled for fear of potentially deadly E.

Gingko Biloba: effective for seniors?

A major new study on the effectiveness of Gingko Biloba in reducing cognitive loss for seniors showed it was not effective. The January 6, 2010 online edition of the natural foods merchandiser [1] reported the results of the study published in the Journal of American Medicine. As with many mainstream studies, this appears to be aimed at finding alternative therapies ineffective.

Rising obesity, part 2

I reported in my December 14, 2009 blog on a recent study predicting that the effects of increasing obesity in the US are forecast to outweigh any benefits from continued reductions in smoking rates over the next decade. Now WebMD reports on this [1], saying that from 1993 to 2008, the proportion of smokers among U.S. adults declined by 18.5% while the proportion of obese adults increased 85%. Researchers say smoking had a bigger impact on deaths while obesity had a bigger effect on illness.

E. Coli infections; subsidized by the government?

E. Coli infections in humans are on the rise. One of the most pervasive food borne illnesses that causes many illnesses and deaths annually, Escherichia coli (E. coli) contamination is responsible for more than 20,000 infections and 200 deaths each year in the United States. This relatively recent phenomenon begs the question: what’s causing it?