Health News

Physical Activity Reduces the Risk of Early Death

Dr. Mercola — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:52:32 +0000

A new study by researchers has found that even light or moderate intensity physical activity, such as walking or cycling, can substantially reduced your risk of early death.

The study combined the results from the largest studies around the world on the health impact of light and moderate intensity physical activity. Although more activity is better, the benefits of even a small amount of physical activity were very large in the least physically active people.

Science Daily reports:

“The good news from this study is that you don't have to be an exercise freak to benefit from physical activity. Just achieving the recommended levels of physical activity (equivalent to 30 minutes daily of moderate intensity activity on 5 days a week) reduces the risk of death by 19 percent ... while 7 hours per week of moderate activity (compared with no activity) reduces the risk of death by 24 percent”.

Your Box Spring Mattress Could be Acting as a Gigantic, Cancer-Causing Radiation Antenna

Dr. Mercola — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:52:31 +0000

The rate of breast cancer in Western countries is 10 percent higher in the left breast than in the right. This also is true for the skin cancer melanoma. Researchers have suggested a surprising explanation for this -- and for the dramatic increase in rates of breast cancer and melanoma over the past three decades.

In Japan, there is no correlation between the rates of melanoma and breast cancer, and there is no left-side prevalence for either disease. The rate of breast cancer in Japan is also significantly lower than in the West.

This may be due to differences in sleeping habits in Japan and Western countries. Previous research has shown that people prefer to sleep on their right sides, possibly as a way of reducing weight stress on the heart. This is most likely the same in both the East and the West, but the futons used for sleeping in Japan are mattresses placed directly on the bedroom floor, in contrast to the elevated box springs and mattress of beds used in the West.

According to Scientific American:

“... [A] 2007 study in Sweden conducted between 1989 and 1993 ... revealed a strong link between the incidence of melanoma and the number of FM and TV transmission towers covering the area where the individuals lived ... Consider, however, that even a TV set cannot respond to broadcast transmissions unless the weak electromagnetic waves are captured and amplified by an appropriately designed antenna. Antennas are simply metal objects of appropriate length sized to match the wavelength of a specific frequency of electromagnetic radiation.”

In the U.S., bed frames and box springs are made of metal, and the length of a bed is exactly half the wavelength of FM and TV transmissions. The maximum strength of the field develops 75 centimeters above the mattress, so when sleeping on your right side, your left side will be exposed to the highest field strength.

Are ER Visits for Food Allergies on the Rise?

Dr. Mercola — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:52:31 +0000

Children's visits to emergency rooms for serious food-allergy reactions may be on the rise. Researchers at Children's Hospital Boston found that the number of food-induced allergic reactions treated in their ER more than doubled over six years.

There was an even greater rise in the number of serious, potentially life-threatening reactions known as anaphylaxis. The number of anaphylaxis cases nearly tripled.

According to Reuters:

“The reasons for the increases cannot be gleaned from the data. But the findings are in line with studies pointing to a general increase in food allergies among U.S. children in recent years ... 3 million school-aged children in the U.S. had a food allergy in 2007, which was up 18 percent from 10 years earlier.”

Star Wars According to a Three Year Old

Dr. Mercola — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:52:30 +0000

Believe it or not, she has the seem the movie only once. She wasn't coached to say anything, nor was she forced to make the video.

Mental Health Experts Ask: Will Anyone be Normal?

Dr. Mercola — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 12:52:29 +0000

An updated edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders may include diagnoses for "disorders" such as toddler tantrums and binge eating. This could mean that soon, no one will be classed as normal.

Leading mental health experts warned that a new edition, which is being revised for publication in 2013, could devalue the seriousness of mental illness. New additions include "mild anxiety depression," "psychosis risk syndrome," and "temper dysregulation disorder".

According to Reuters:

“The DSM is published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and contains descriptions, symptoms, and other criteria for diagnosing mental disorders. It is seen as the global diagnostic bible for the field of mental health medicine. The criteria are designed to provide clear definitions for professionals ... and for researchers and pharmaceutical drug companies seeking to develop new ways of treating them.”