Does alcohol cause cancer, or does it prevent it? Scientists have given us mixed messages; so it’s confusing, to say the least. It has always seemed to depend on the type of cancer, the kind of alcohol, and the amount of alcohol consumed.
For example, red wine consumption has been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer. In that study, participants drank 8 ounces of red wine each evening.
Researchers at the University of Dundee at University College London have come to an unlikely conclusion; women who have had their tonsils or appendix removed are more likely to get pregnant. But the results certainly don’t make it fact.
The study contradicts what most doctors learned in medical school: that the removal of the appendix can reduce fertility later on in life. Though as you should expect, Dr. Sami Shimi states that women shouldn’t try to have healthy organs removed in order to simply improve their chances of pregnancy.
Hiking in the fall gives you a chance to see some of nature’s most colorful art displays without the heat, humidity, and mosquitoes – assuming you don’t live in southern Florida or California, of course. If you’ve never been hiking in the fall in a cool climate, let me tell you: it’s worth the trip.
Voters in Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, and Wells Water District in Maine; Healdsburg, California (Sonoma County); and Greenville, Texas went to the polls on November 8 to voice their views on whether to ban fluoride in their drinking water.
Thirteen people in the United States have been infected with a potentially deadly, drug-resistant fungal infection since 2009, health officials say. [1] [2]
Source: CNN
Of those infected, 4 individuals died; but it is not clear whether they died from the infection or from other underlying health problems. [1]
Dr. Tom Chiller, who is chief of the mycotic diseases branch of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC), said:
“I am worried. I think this is a real threat.” [2]
Fast-food chains have been pulling out all the stops to get “health nuts” to frequent their establishments. McDonald’s came out with a kale salad (that ended up having more fat and calories than a Big Mac), Chick-Fil-A added an organic beverage and a “superfood” salad to its menu, and many chains have been switching to antibiotic-free chicken and cutting preservatives from their offerings.
The federal government said on November 10th that cigarette smoking among American adults is still dropping dramatically. [1]
But the good news comes with 1 major caveat: smoking still causes 40% of all cancer diagnoses in the United States. Not just lung cancer, either. That percentage encompasses a dozen other parts of the body, including the throat, stomach, pancreas, and liver.
A panel of U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) experts has recommended that an experimental antibiotic made by Cempra Inc. be approved, but just barely. [1]
The panel voted 7-6 in favor of the drug, saying the effectiveness of the new antibiotic outweighed risks of liver toxicity seen in many studies. The FDA does not have to follow the panel’s recommendation, but it typically does.
Monsanto and Dow were 2 of the 9 wartime contractors hired by the US government to create Agent Orange, a combination of the toxic chemicals 2,4-D, and 2,4,5-T, just over 40 years ago. The damage these chemicals have perpetrated on our health and environment did not end with the Vietnam War though.
I always say – and I’ve written it many times – that gardening is a great antidepressant. As beautiful as nature is to look at, there is something deeply healing about engaging with it.
But if you’re not into getting dirt under your fingernails or dealing with spiders, you can still reap the benefits Mother Nature has to offer. There are so many studies that point to this, I hardly know where to begin.
