Jash Botanicals Natural Health Corner

I was watching KQED last night when a program came on in regard to the plight of the sea otters, so I decided to see what they had to say.  I have to say that I was glad that I did and wanted to share it with you.

It seems that a California Democratic Assemblyman (Dave Jones) and his family took a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium not too long ago.  During their visit, they were made aware of the fact that 200 + dead sea otters were showing up on the coastal shores.  In case you are not aware of this already, sea otters are on the endangered species list, so to have that many show up dead is not good news.  Autopsies were performed and one thing kept coming up in common with almost all the dead sea otters. 

The common thread is a parasite called Toxoplasma gondi, and is a resilient and cunning one-celled freeloader that forms cysts within its host, usually in the brain and muscles.  Here is where the problems occur.  In its egg-like condition, the parasite is very strong and sturdy and withstands just about anything.  In fact, Pat Conrad, a professor of parasitology at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, says you can soak them in pure bleach for hours and hours and they still come out fit and ready to move on to other things. 

The next topic of conversation blew me away because I was guilty of the crime and didn’t even know what I was doing was causing a problem.  How many of you flush your cat poop down the toilet?  I know I did.  I would scoop out the cat feces so that the cat had a clean place to go and flushing it down the toilet seemed the most appropriate thing to do.  Well, here is the rest of the story.  When you flush your cat feces down the toilet, it actually survives all the chemical treatments your sewage plant has to offer and arrives alive and ready to find a host in our oceans.  That has been a grim consequence for sea otters, which have not been doing so well anyway.  A team that was led by Pat Conrad, examined 305 dead sea otters and 257 live ones between 1998 and 2004.  Of the dead ones, 52% were infected with Toxoplasma and 38% of the live ones as well.

First of all, I would like to extend my thanks and appreciation to Calfornia Assemblyman Dave Jones, his Son Will and Assemblyman John Laird for the following assistance they have given to help the plight of the sea otters.  A bill was approved by lawmakers, signed by the governor and went into effect January 1^st that establishes a voluntary check-off on state income tax returns to raise funds for the otter protection and research.  In addition, the bill requires that cat litter sold in California carry a label suggesting that cat poop be put in the garbage rather than down the toilet.

I for one, will never put my cat poop down the john again, and I am hoping that you will do the same. 

I am a big fan of the hormone melatonin, but I was surprised to read about a particular downside to this particular supplement.  If you have asthma that takes a turn for the worse at night and is keeping you from getting any sleep—melatonin is not the answer. 

Our bodies manufacturer the hormone naturally (a lot more when you are younger), and a study done by the researchers at the National Jewish Medical Center in Denver, found that people with nighttime asthma have a tendency to manufacture more of it as their symptoms intensify.  In addition, studies also revealed that melatonin increased inflammation in animal studies of asthma.  Considering that airway inflammation is one reason people with asthma have a hard time breathing, then using this particular hormone sounds like a bad idea.  The same researchers measured the melatonin levels round the clock for 7 days using three different groups of people with asthma.  The first group had asthma whose symptoms worsened at night, the second were asthma sufferers that had it worse during the day, and the last group did not have asthma.  What they found was all three groups had melatonin levels that were the highest at night, but the asthma sufferers whose attacks were mostly nocturnal had the highest numbers of all.  According to the researchers, "these findings suggest that naturally produced melatonin increases inflammation in the airways and makes lung function worse." (This may explain why melatonin supplements appear to worsen sleep apnea, too.)

The hormone that is secreted by the pineal gland in the brain is critical in regulating the circadian rhythms in the body, and in particular—sleep.  It is delivered to the right places at night, generally at the onset of the evening hours before bedtime, peaking half-way through the night, and ending up just about the time you wake up.  I use it every night, and think it is just wonderful for a restful, deep sleep, but then again—I don’t have asthma.

The best way for nighttime asthmatics to sleep better, says pulmonologist and lead study author E. Rand Sutherland, is to treat the asthma itself.  As far as a supplement that will help you sleep without the hormone, try a good herbal extract that incorporates herbs such as valerian root, lemon balm, and hops flowers.

One night not too long ago, I was watching TV when they released a few tidbits about what was coming up on the news at ten.  When they mentioned that Peter Coyote was going to do a bit for The Breast Cancer Foundation, I decided to stay up and watch what one of my favorite actors had to say.  I was surprised when he announced that he had agreed to have his body tested for toxic substances and proceeded to let us know what they had found.  Among a list of heavy metals and assorted chemicals that I will write about at another time, the one that peaked my interest was Teflon.  Being a former non-stick cookware user, I was curious to see what they had to say…

According to what I learned from the 10 o’clock news and my research is that manufacturers of nonstick cookware have known for years that heating their products past 600 degrees may cause fluropolymers in the coating to break down.  And guess what?—as these chemicals degrade, they release toxic gases, some of which can generate a temporary flu-like condition and some of which are carcinogenic, into your air.  What did DuPont (the maker of Teflon) have to say about that?  Well, they recommend that you cook at temperatures at or below 500 degrees.  Well, we can all do that, right?  Not quite. 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG), an environmental watchdog, stated that their study revealed a generic nonstick frying pan left empty on an electric burner set at high heat, reached 736 degrees in just 3 minutes and 20 seconds; a Teflon pan topped 700 degrees in 5 minutes.

The EWG appealed to the Consumer Product Safety Commission to insist on a warning label on nonstick cookware, but alas, you can all guess where that went.

“If you use them, it’s going to introduce something into your body that has the potential to cause adverse effects when it’s not necessary," says Diane Henshel, an associate professor at the School of Public and Environmental Affairs who focuses on sub-lethal health effects of environmental pollutants.

"DuPont is saying ‘Oh, it doesn’t break down like that,’ but that’s not true," she says. "Under ideal laboratory conditions, it is very slow to degrade, but no one would ever call a cooking situation an ideal lab situation.

"Everything breaks down with time and those coatings are going to be more likely to break down as they are being scraped, which happens in cooking situations, or when they are being used to heat something that could promote the breakdown of acids such as those in tomatoes, wine, or alcohols."

You know what I did when I found out?  First I had myself tested to see what I did have in my body, and yes, Teflon was just one of the culprits.  I then went out and bought myself a set of cast-iron cookware and geared up to detox, detox and detox.

When I opened the newspaper this morning and sat down to have my cup of green tea, a headline grabbed my attention.  Thought you might be interested in the latest pharmaceutical fiasco.  According to a new study conducted by scientists at the University Of Cincinnati College Of Medicine, the use of the anticoagulant warfarin, which rose in the 1990’s, produced an upsurge in the number of drug-induced intracerebral hemorrhages—particularly in senior citizens over 80.  They maintained that elderly people who take the popular blood-thinning medicine to prevent heart attacks or strokes might be at greater risk for serious brain hemorrhage.

“We’ve had no idea how often this was happening,” said Dr. Matthew Flaherty, lead author of the study that appears in the journal Neurology.  Utilization of the blood thinner escalated after many studies showed warfarin was effective at inhibiting ischemic strokes in people with atrial fibrillation, an abnormal heart rhythm.

The latest study indicates warfarin, which is sold under numerous brands including Coumadin, may bring about problems of it own.  “The benefit comes with a potential price, the risk of a brain bleed,” Flaherty said.  Ischemic strokes are triggered by a blood clot that forms in the brain or travels to the brain.  The less common type of stroke (less than 10% of all strokes) is an intracerebral hemorrhage—a blood vessel bursting in the brain.

Preliminary studies indicated that warfarin was a good preventative measure, better than aspirin or placebo.  The Cincinnati scientists, however, were the first to quantify how often a drug-related hemorrhage occurs in a large population.  The scientists checked all the hospital admissions during the late 1980’s and 1990’s and discovered the incidence of warfarin-related cerebral hemorrhages spiked over that time.  In particular, people over the age 80 were especially vulnerable.

From 1988 to 1999, the occurrence jumped from 2.5 per 100,000 patients to 45.9.  When you do the math, it equates to a fourfold increase in the incidence among all ages, from 0.8 to 4.4 per 100,000.  The physicians say the advantages of using warfarin in seniors might not be worth the risk.

“We need to know who is likely to benefit and who is likely to be harmed,” Flaherty said.  The risk of ischemic stroke in patients with atrial fibrillation is still much higher than the risk of a drug-related brain hemorrhage, he added.  He cautioned patients to talk to their doctors before making any decision not to take warfarin.

Who would have thought that the yummy element in pesto can also double as a wrap to keep food fresh?  Basil has long been recognized to have bacteria-fighting assets, so scientists at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Israel have been trying to incorporate it into plastic wraps to preserve foods.  The whole idea came about when the researchers read about studies utilizing basil in foods as a preservative.  The research was presented at the annual symposium of the International Packaging Research Institutes in Valencia, Spain by lead researcher Prof. Joseph Miltz of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Faculty of Food Engineering and Biotechnology, and by Profs. K. Sonneveld, S. Bigger and doctoral student Panuwat Suppakul from the Victoria University of Technology in Melbourne, Australia.

The extracts methyl chavicol and linalool seep out of the wrapping and decelerate the growth of eight types of lethal bacteria including E. Coli and listeria.  In addition, an added benefit is that the wrapping broadens the shelf life of foods like cheese, meats, fish, baked foods, fruits and vegetables.  The researchers recognized that the bacterium which causes the spoilage is located on the food’s surface, so instead of infusing the food with large amounts of basil as a preservative, they could integrate the basil extracts into the packaging in smaller concentrations.  Soon after, the extracts diffuse onto the surface of the food, killing any microorganisms.  According to the scientists, they use so little basil that there is no worry about imparting basil’s flavor to the foods being wrapped.

What I learned from all this was that adding a little basil to my cooking just might keep the bacteria out of my food.  What’s more, I love New Zealand grass-fed cheeses, and they are not inexpensive, by any means.  I try and keep them wrapped and free of air, but once in a while they grow mold and I end up throwing it away.  After reading this, I bought some fresh basil, and I surrounded the cheese with it before tightly wrapping it.  I have to admit that I have not lost an ounce of cheese since.  You have to love that!

EPA and additional reports prove that average Americans harbor carcinogens, industrial compounds, pollutants and chemicals in addition to other destructive forces of health in their fat tissues.  Cadmium, aluminum, mercury, antimony, lead and arsenic are only a few of the toxic metals released into the food chain via pesticide runoff, incinerator emissions and manufacturing smokestacks.  In addition to the above, there is also data that arbitrary blood screening of physicians’ patients shows the presence of numerous toxic heavy metals in their bodies.

These problems begin with negatively impacting your cells, destroying their energy and outer membrane, in addition to destroying their capability to perform vital functions.  This damage is called “oxidative stress” and it extends from your cells to your tissues to your organs and ultimately to all parts of your body.  These toxins devastate your body’s ability to detoxify them while gradually accumulating.  We don’t get seriously ill with degenerative diseases overnight—we spend our lifetime stockpiling for them.

So, what are you going to do about it?  Well, the first thing you should do is remove the harmful toxins from your environment if possible.  Secondly, you have to make a concerted effort to remove the heavy metal and toxins from your body.  Next, you have to repair the devastation to your cells, tissues or organs.  Finally, you have to construct a strong foundation, beginning with the basic level, by fortifying and sustaining the integrity and vigor of your cells with nutritional support.

Approximately 33% of attention deficit occurrences among U.S. children could be associated with tobacco smoke prior to birth or to lead contact afterward, according to stimulating new research.

Even levels of lead the government deems acceptable seems to increase a child’s threat of having attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the study discovered.

The discovery developed on previous research associating attention problems, including ADHD, with childhood lead exposure and smoking during pregnancy and presents one of the first estimates for how much those environmental issues might contribute.

“It is a landmark paper that quantifies the number of cases of ADHD that can be attributed to very important environmental exposures,” said Dr. Leo Trasande, assistant director of the Center for Children’s Health and the Environment at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

To a greater extent, the study reinforces suspicions that low-level lead exposure earlier connected to behavior problems “is in fact associated with ADHD,” said Trasande, who was not included in the research.

The study’s assessment is in line with a National Academy of Sciences report in 2000 that alleged roughly 3% of all developmental and neurological disorders in U.S. children are generated by toxic chemicals and other environmental issues and 25% are instigated by a combination of environmental factors and genetics.

“The findings of this study underscore the profound behavioral health impact of these prevalent exposures and highlight the need to strengthen public health efforts to reduce prenatal tobacco smoke exposure,” said the authors, led by researcher Joe Braun of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The study was to be circulated online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

Being an herbalist, someone is always telling me about a new juice I should try and why.  There is Noni, Pomegranate, blueberry, Gac, Mangosteen and I have tried them all.  Don’t get me wrong, they all have their health benefits, and I try and rotate the juices, so that my family is either drinking one or the other.  

Acai (pronounced ah-sigh-EE) is one of the latest, hot new health food findings from the Amazon rainforest and asserts that it possesses remarkable qualifications as a source of omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, vitamin A, C, and E.  It additionally boasts 50 other antioxidants, in particular anthocyanin—the powerhouse pigment located in blueberries and wine.

Acai is, in point of fact, the purplish fruit of Euterpe oleracea, which is a short palm located in great quantities in Brazil.  Supporters of the fruit state that this healthful food lowers bad cholesterol and boosts the good, enhances the immune system, combats infections, safeguards the heart, and may control prostate enlargement.

In one particular study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, they are looking to add battling cancer to the list of attributes for the acai fruit.  The study, which was performed at the University of Florida, used the pure juice—minus any lipids (EFA’s) and the cellulose material and was utilized on HL-60 human leukemia cells in vitro.  They also tested five other extracts or “parts” of the fruit, which have different mixtures of antioxidants, for their effect on leukemia cells.  What they discovered was that the extracts “reduce cell proliferation from 56-86 percent”.  This was probably accomplished by damaging the cells to the point where it instigated their self-destruction (apoptosis).  

I wish I could tell you that you can run right down to the grocery store and purchase the fruit, but unfortunately, it is too delicate to export.  The good news is that the juice is available—if not at your local health food store, then on the internet.  I have tried two different kinds, which I will share with you.  The first is manufactured by a company called Bossa Nova Beverage and my favorite flavor is passion fruit. And for all of us that are environmentally conscious, Bossa Nova Beverage and the Rain Forest Alliance promise that for every bottle you drink, a rainforest tree will be saved.  The second I purchased from a company called Amazon Thunder and the acai was pure, so I simply used one ounce a day for the benefits.  I like them both; however, Bossa Nova was more of a beverage.

What is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in women and the second most commonly diagnosed gynecologic cancer?  If you said ovarian cancer, you were absolutely correct.

Herbal remedies, for example gingko biloba, have generated attention for their possible preventative effects.  Unfortunately, there had been a “lack of scientific evidence” to confirm their application for this purpose.

The good news is that Doctor Bin Ye and his colleagues from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston have discovered that gingko biloba was one herbal supplement that had a tangible effect on ovarian cancer.  It was also found that the preventative effect was more evident in women with non-mucinous ovarian cancers.

Based on the data, the consensus is that women who took gingko supplements had a 60 percent lower risk of ovarian cancer.  Doctor Bin Ye stated that, “4.2 percent of ovarian cancer-free women reported taking gingko regularly for at least six months before diagnosis, but only 1.6 percent of women with ovarian cancer reported taking ginkgo.  This suggests that women who are using gingko may be less likely to develop ovarian cancer.”

Doctor Bin and his team procured their evidence and proceeded to take it to the lab.  They wanted to see whether or not gingko, when introduced to ovarian cancer cells, would interfere with cell growth.  During the (in vitro) experiments, it was confirmed that a low dosage of gingkolide caused ovarian cells to stop growing.  The researchers witnessed an 80 percent growth reduction in non-mucinous ovarian cancer cells.  Unfortunately, gingkolides seemed to be less effective against the mucinous type of ovarian cancer cells, which correspond to the findings seen in the epidemiological study.

Doctor Daniel Cramer, MD, ScD and director of the Obstetrics and Gynecology Epidemiology Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital said, “Ovarian cancer is a fatal disease, often only detected in the most advanced stages, so there is an enormous effort to look at new methods of prevention, treatment and early detection.  This is an exciting finding that we will pursue further to better understand what clinical recommendations can be made to women regarding gingko use as a means of ovarian cancer prevention.”

It is also advised that women who run the risk of ovarian cancer and want to try using gingko biloba as a preventative should first check with their physician to make sure that it does not interact with other medications they may be taking.

Source: Brigham & Womens Hospital, October 31, 2005

Guess what the Food and Drug Administration is mulling over now?  It’s all about ice cream and the regulations surrounding the manufacture of it.  In addition to rules concerning pasteurization temperatures, artificial flavor levels and the amount of berry juice in sherbets; they are also contemplating the rules that would apply to utilizing milk from other animals in your ice cream.

What kind of animals, you ask?  These would include animals such as: water buffalo, reindeer, yaks, sheep, goats and other exotic beasts that you and I would never relate to our bowl of hot fudge sundae.  And who, pray tell, has come up with these new ideas?  Well, that would be the International Ice Cream Association, which is composed of companies such as Dreyers, Dean Foods, Kroger, Kraft Foods, Hershey, Nestle and whole lot more of the big honkin’ Corporations.  

“This is about making the process a lot more streamlined and efficient,” said Marci Cleary, a spokeswoman for the ice cream group.  Her line of reasoning has some merit in regard to the way the rules are set up presently.  As it stands now, you require a set of rules for goat ice cream, a separate set for yaks, a different set for sheep and so on and so forth.  The rules that are being suggested would simply state, “exotic animal ice cream”.

What the censors and critics are concerned about is that the new rules may unbolt the door for ice cream manufacturers to begin using milk from other animals and concealing the fact in fine print on the package or maybe not telling you at all.  In addition, there is the distinct possibility that it gives the ice cream makers the option of using cheap milk from overseas.  India’s dairy industry, for instance, is over 90 percent water buffalo—just in case you were wondering.  Water buffalo milk is going for about 12 cents a liter (45 cents a gallon) versus two to three dollars for cow’s milk (retail).

“This ice cream situation is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever seen,” said Pete Hardin, editor of The Milkweed, a trade publication for dairy farmers.  “Imports from things like water buffalo in India raise sanitation issues and moral issues, like should we be taking food away from impoverished areas,” Hardin pointed out.

The ice cream manufacturers maintain that these worries are out of line and that any such use of exotic animal milk would have to be labeled.  “We are not trying to change the quality of the ice cream,” said Marci Cleary.

The word is that the FDA has been engaging in this discussion for the last two years and they are probably not finished yet.  In the interim, you have until December 27th to generate a comment or argument with the feds—if you are so inclined.  As for me, I will ask Santa to keep a large stash of the real deal for me.

Merry Christmas to all of you from Jash Botanicals.  Just a short blog to remind you that helping others generates benefits for everyone.  During a survey of more than 12,000 people conducted by England’s University of Essex, they discovered that citizens of communities with soaring levels of volunteerism had better physical and mental health than those who didn’t.

“Healthy people are more likely to volunteer, and volunteering, in turn, promotes better health, says Peggy Thoits, Ph.D., a professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.  In our research, we found that it’s one of the best things you can do for your overall well-being.”

A study done in Ontario, Canada revealed that volunteering not only enhances self-esteem and combats social isolation, but also reduces the impact of stress on the body, lowering blood pressure and even reinforcing the immune system.

In addition, according to another study, volunteering appears to give new meaning to life for seniors, diminishing anxiety and depression and amplifies life satisfaction.  It also helps a person cope with the foreseeable losses that occur with age.  This would include retirement, the death of friends or relatives, loss of social contacts and geographic separation from children and grandchildren.

Let’s face it people—it feels good and the explanation may lie in the sense of calmness that occurs from helping others, also known as the “helper’s high”.  It is a win-win situation where society benefits and the person volunteering may personally benefit.  According to Harvard cardiologist Herbert Benson, who is known for his work on the relaxation response (the body’s ability to shift into a deep state of rest), the health profits of doing good things for others are akin to those experienced by anyone who practices yoga, spirituality and meditation, namely a deceleration of heart rate and a decrease in blood pressure.

So, the bottom line is, get out there and do it folks!  If you don’t know where to start, go to www.volunteermatch.org and type in your zip code and interest area.  They will send you a list of local charities that would love to have you.

When DuPont fell short of letting the public in on the fact that there was widespread exposures to an impending toxic chemical used to make nonstick pans, stain-resistant carpet, hamburger wrappers and the lining of microwaveable popcorn bags—it cost them $16.5 million in fines and compensatory payouts.

Officials at the Environmental Protection Agency revealed that the settlement generated the biggest administrative, non-court civil penalty in agency history, and would act as a warning to industries that ignore federal toxic substance control laws.

“This settlement sends a strong message that companies are responsible for promptly informing EPA about risk information associated with their chemicals,” said Granta Y. Nakayama, assistant administrator for the Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance.

While the settlement was instigated by the exposure of problems at DuPont’s Teflon plant in Parkersburg, West Virginia, the terms entail the spending of $5 million studying how a broader variety of related chemicals and consumer products perform and break down in the environment.

A number of the chemicals included in the research deal are controlled at DuPont’s Chamber Works plant in Deepwater, New Jersey, which is located at the foot of the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  One chemical, in particular, is called C-8, also known as perfluorooctanoic acid or PFOA—the chemical used in the manufacture of Teflon.

The EWG (Environmental Working Group) thought the penalty emphasized the federal government’s weak hand in dealing with industrial polluters.  “What’s the appropriate fine for a $25 billion company that for decades hid vital health information about a toxic chemical that now contaminates every man, woman and child in the United States?” Group President Ken Cook said in a statement.  “We’re pretty sure it’s not $16 million, even if that is a record amount under a federal law that everyone acknowledges is extremely weak.”

Well, I don’t know about you, but I agree with Ken Cook.  A $16.5 million fine for a company that is worth $25 billion equals a company that was not taught a big enough lesson!

Have you ever had a severe case of poison oak or ivy?  Our family knows what that is like, because my son is highly allergic to it, and when he was growing up we went through some very unpleasant experiences.  Well, alot of the suffering can be avoided now and we would like to share the good news with you.

Normally, 24-48 hours after coming in contact with the resin from poison oak or poison ivy, the recipient develops a rash that produces severe itching, burning pain, oozing, and crusting.  The rash is usually distinguished by streaks of fluid-filled blisters on a red and inflamed skin that may persist for one to four weeks.  Countless people believe that the handling of the blisters will only spread it.  Although it sounds plausible—only the resin can generate a reaction.

According to the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, an extract of Grindelia, which is commonly known as Gumweed, outperformed many of the other commonly used holistic preparations in relieving symptoms of poison oak and ivy when it was applied directly to the rash.  One case in particular was a 51 year old woman who came into contact with poison oak.  She soon developed the characteristic redness, itching, oozing, heat and pain that come with the rash.  Assorted herbal remedies such as: calendula, herbal creams, holy basil and jewelweed were applied, but were nominally helpful.  The utilization of homeopathic remedies was likewise unproductive.  

When a tincture of gumweed was applied directly to the rash, an instant improvement of the symptoms was observed.  Additionally, the gumweed tincture was mixed with calendula cream and applied to the rash several times per day.  The bottom line—the rash became smaller, drier and less itchy and hot within 48 hours, and entirely resolved within a two week period.

It is always a good idea to take precautionary steps when dealing with poison oak and ivy.  If you learn how to identify these plants and where they grow, you can avoid any contact.  If contamination has already occurred, washing the area immediately with a tough but safe soap and water can eliminate the resin.  Any clothing that has been exposed should also be washed, as the resin can still generate a reaction.

As far as we are concerned, in view of the results of this study, gumweed would be a great nominee for the next bout with poison oak and should be a good candidate for more scientific research.

Source: Journal of Alternative and Complementray Medicine Aug 2005, Vol. 11, No. 4: 709-710

Everyone knows that sleep is utterly necessary for restoring and renewal, but did you know that there is a connection between longer sleep time and a reduced occurrence of breast cancer?

A study described in the October, 2005 issue of the journal Cancer Research explained how women, who slept longer than most, experienced a 31% reduction in the risk of breast cancer as compared to average sleepers. 

This investigation involved 12,222 women volunteers who answered to one or more questions regarding the length, quality and adequacy of the sleep they got.  The researchers also secured the breast cancer data from 1976 to 1996 for the study. For the period spanning the 30 years, 242 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed.  After reading the study results, I thought that it was interesting that women who were considered to be lower breast cancer risks were outperformed by women who slept longer than normal.  They were actually outperformed by 31%!

The writers of this study theorized that the relationship between sleep and breast cancer were linked to the changes in melatonin and additional hormonal rhythms.  They also conceded that the more artificial light you were exposed to at night, the more your melatonin levels were decreased.  This may, according to the study, increase your chances of breast cancer.  Additional studies into women who worked night shifts and women who had lost their sight seemed to support this theory. 

I use to feel very guilty about sleeping in—not anymore!

It is such a shame when the alternative and complementary medicine industries are associated with quacks like Kevin Trudeau.  That’s right, I said it…he’s a quack.   Kevin Trudeau and his book, Natural Cures "They" Don’t Want you to Know About has been at the top of the New York Times best seller list for some time now, and for the life of me I cannot figure out why. As an avid reader of natural health and wellness books I thought I would give Trudeau’s book a try for the sake of curiousity.  I bought the book without having any prior background on Trudeau, his credentials, and without any feedback from other readers.  While most might critique individual components of a book, there is nothing to critique here.  His book is absolute garbage, and is nothing more than one long-winded sales pitch to sign up for his newsletter.  I would comment more about Trudeau and his shortcomings but let me just provide a few fun facts about Trudeau that you might find appropriate if you ever had the misfortune to buy his book:

• Trudeau is a twice convicted felon, and has served time in a federal penetentiary for credit card fraud.
• Trudeau has been prosecuted by the FTC for producing and airing fraudulent infomercials
• Trudeau has been the subject of over 18 investigations by state attorney generals
• Trudeau is a longtime multi-level marketer and pyramid scheme scam artist
• Trudeau has no experience, knowledge, or dealings in alternative medicine (not a big suprise)

See Also:

• Federal Trade Commission: Trudeau Banned From Infomercials
• Rip Off Reports: Trudeau Fingered by Many as a Fraud