The illegal use of injected silicone as an alternative to cosmetic surgery is on the rise.

An underground beauty industry uses injections of black-market, medical-grade silicone or industrial-grade silicone as a cheap, fast and easily accessible way to plump up breasts, buttocks and thighs. But silicone can migrate through the bloodstream, creating potentially fatal clots in the lungs, and it can also migrate through tissues, leading to ugly lumps and chronic pain

New York City’s poison control center has received three calls in the last 10 months from doctors who have treated patients injected with silicone. In the previous two years, there were only two such cases total.

There may be other cases that have gone unreported. Doctors are not legally obligated to report silicone poisoning or even death, and silicone is hard to detect through X-rays or CT scans.

Nationally, reports of buttock enhancement using silicone and similar thick liquids have surfaced throughout the U.S.  Silicone is not approved for injection into tissues at all.

Young women who use oral contraceptives may not get as much out of their weight-lifting routine as women who are not on the pill. A study suggests that oral contraceptive use impairs muscle gains from resistance exercise training in women.

For the study, 73 healthy women between the ages of 18 and 31 participated in whole-body resistance exercises three times a week for 10 weeks. About half of the women used oral contraceptives.

According to the researchers, there were marked differences in lean muscle mass gains between the two groups. Lean muscle increased by just 2.1 percent in oral contraceptive users, compared with 3.5 percent in those who did not use oral contraceptives.

Eating blueberries could help you get rid of belly fat, and a blueberry-enriched diet could stem the conditions that lead to diabetes.

New research gives tantalizing clues to the potential of blueberries in reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The effect is thought to be due to the high level of naturally occurring antioxidants called phytochemicals contained in blueberries.

Researchers studied the effect blueberries had when added to the diet of rats. After 90 days, rats that received a blueberry-enriched diet had less abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, lower cholesterol, and improved fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity.

Boys who swim frequently in swimming pools may be at increased risk of developing asthma. A new study of 6 to 12 year old boys found a significant association between the number of years a boy had been swimming and the likelihood of the child being wheezy in the past year.

The more years a boy had been attending an indoor chlorinated pool, the greater the likelihood of his having asthma.

Parents of some more than 120 boys were questioned about how often the boys went swimming in chlorinated indoor pools. The results showed most boys did so once a week.

A significant link was shown to exist between the number of years spent swimming and a diagnosis of asthma, as well as whether a boy had experienced wheezing in the previous 12 months.

by Jonathan V. Wright, M.D.

(with thanks to Jennifer Berkowitz and the Fund for Personal Liberty)

You’ve been forced to pay Social “Security” taxes since you started working whether you wanted to or not. In return, you’ve been promised that when you retire, Social “Security” will pay you a small amount every month (an amount too small to be called “security”, but that’s a discussion for another time). But did you know that when you apply for Social “Security,” you’ll be refused -- yes, refused the right to your own money! -- unless you also sign up for Medicare (or, as I call it, “Mediocare”) Part A? (Part A is a hospital care program for those over 65).

When Congress created Social “Security” in the 1930s, Mediocare didn’t exist. And when the Mediocare program was created in the 1960s, there was no legal provision written to link the two programs. Yet little-known administrative policies adopted by los Federales in 1993 and strengthened in 2002 say that seniors can't refuse Mediocare, Part A coverage unless they forgo Social “Security” too -- even if they’ve paid Social “Security” taxes their entire working careers! Adding insult to injury, once you’re enrolled in “Mediocare,” the only way you can withdraw -- according to the bureaucracy’s edict -- is to repay all Social “Security” money you received, as well as any hospitalization benefits “Mediocare” may have paid on your behalf.

You might wonder why it matters. Why would you want to pay for your own hospitalization when you can get it for “free” through Mediocare, Part A -- especially when you’ve been forced to pay Mediocare taxes for all or most of your working career?

Perhaps the most important reason is the quality of care -- or more precisely, the lack of it -- “covered” by Mediocare.

Despite having paid thousands upon thousands in Mediocare taxes over the years, you’re only “allowed” to have the diagnostic and treatment procedures “approved” by los Federales. Anything else, even if it could save your life, isn’t “allowed.” If you’re “covered” by Mediocare, you’re not even supposed to go “outside the (Mediocare) system” for an “unapproved” diagnostic procedure or treatment -- even if you pay for it yourself! (Apparently, that’s how los Federales define “American freedom.”)

Another reason to consider not enrolling in Mediocare is the total lack of doctor-patient confidentiality. According to the Institute for Health Freedom, at least 600,000 individuals, institutions, and “entities” may be authorized by Mediocare bureaucrats to read any of your medical records kept in electronic form at any time -- without your knowledge or consent! And the recently enacted so-called “economic stimulus program” contains provisions that will make this lack of medical privacy situation even worse.

Keeping your freedom -- and your benefits!

Now, the good news: Five people have filed a lawsuit challenging these unconstitutional, illegal, and coercive policies.  They’re backed by the Fund for Personal Liberty, a 501(c)3 (tax-exempt) eligible organization, and represented by the law firm of Kent Masterson Brown, a well known health care and constitutional law specialist (and published Civil War historian). Known as Brian Hall et al v. Charles E. Johnson et al, the lawsuit seeks to permanently prohibit the Social Security Administration and Department of Health and Human Services from continuing the policies that force American citizens to participate in Mediocare, Part A (a supposedly “voluntary” program) in order to have some of their Social “Security” taxes returned as “benefits.”

The five plaintiffs allege that mandatory enrollment in Mediocare violates the Constitution, as well as the Social Security and Medicare Acts. They also state that the rules were put into place without proper “notice” and “comment,” as required by federal law.

The lawsuit is slowly making its way through the court system. Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) disappointingly denied the lead plaintiff’s request for a temporary restraining order barring the Department of Health and Human Services from forcing him into Mediocare. (The judge did, however, make it clear that this ruling has no bearing on the merits of the case.) Instead, she seemed to provide early indications that she might very well support the plaintiffs’ position, writing: “It is passing strange that SSA insists that all persons receiving Social Security retirement benefits, a federal program that is running out of money, also must be part of Medicare Part A, another federal program that overruns budgets.”

Not surprisingly, the government has filed a motion to dismiss the case. The plaintiffs, meanwhile, have asked the court -- on the basis of the overwhelming weight of the evidence on their side -- for summary judgment, which is a ruling in their favor without a trial.

The two sides will meet again in Judge Collyer’s courtroom on May 22nd. The plaintiffs and their legal counsel are confident they will eventually win their case, but they still have a long way to go.  While they are capable of paying their own medical bills, they unfortunately are not also capable of paying the mounting legal fees necessary to restore the freedom that all Americans over 65 had by right from 1783 through 1992 -- the freedom to pay their own hospital bills if they prefer to do so!

That’s where I’m hoping you will help!

Please consider supporting their courageous efforts to restore a part of health care freedom for all “free citizens” by sending a donation to the Fund for Personal Liberty, c/o Webster, Chamberlain & Bean, 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006. Thank you!         

If you would like to learn more information about this important legal effort, visit www.medicarelawsuit.org.

Quest Diagnostics, which operates medical testing labs, will pay $302 million for misleading marketing practices as part of a settlement with the federal government. Quest also entered into a nonprosecution agreement.

The case stemmed from marketing materials for a parathyroid hormone test.

The Justice Department said the settlement was one of the largest recoveries in a case involving a medical device. A Quest subsidiary inaccurately marketed unproven advantages to the Nichols Advantage Chemiluminescence Intact Parathyroid Hormone Immunoassay.

Jet lag could be caused by two groups of cells at the base of your brain falling out of synch.

Your body has a built-in time-keeping system known as a circadian rhythm. This system is partly governed by the cycle of day and night. Changing time zones, or working a late shift, can throw off your body's sense of timing because it changes the timing of your exposure to light.

Researchers found that in rats, the disruption occurs in two groups of brain cells. The groups are separate, but linked in a structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, below the hypothalamus at the base of your brain.

One group receives light information directly from the eyes and governs rhythms in tune with periods of light and dark. These neurons are synchronized with the deep sleep associated with physical fatigue. The other group is insensitive to changes in light, and is more closely tied to REM sleep. Usually, these two groups of neurons work together. But when the light-dark cycle shifts, it can throw them out of synch.

Fiber-rich bamboo shoots may improve cholesterol levels and improve bowel health, according to the results of a small study.

Supplementing your diet with bamboo shoots could result in reductions in your LDL cholesterol levels. Furthermore, it can significantly increase fecal volume and the number of bowel movements.

Fiber intake has been shown to benefit gastrointestinal health, glucose handling, heart health, cancer risk and satiety, but these benefits are dependent on the types of fiber present in foods. Eight percent of the fiber content of bamboo shoots is soluble, with the other 92 percent present as insoluble fiber. Most of the dietary fiber in the shoots is hemicellulose, cellulose, pectin, and lignin.

An obesity-prevention program tested in several Dutch schools was able to cut down teenagers' consumption of sugary sodas and curb body-fat gain.

The program, called Dutch Obesity Intervention in Teenagers (DOiT), aimed to boost students' exercise levels and lower their intake of junk food and sugar-sweetened drinks. Students had 11 lessons on the topics, and schools were encouraged to increase gym classes and make cafeteria changes.

Over 20 months, students at 10 schools that ran the program reduced their soda intake. However, other benefits tended to slowly disappear after the program concluded; some positive effects seen at the eight-month mark -- like less weight gain around the waistline in boys -- had vanished by the 20-month point.

This suggests that school-based programs can be effective, but that they need to be kept up.

Nattokinase, an enzyme extracted from fermented soy, may reduce levels of compounds linked to blood clotting. This could cut the risk of heart disease in people who are at risk.

The enzyme reduced levels of blood clotting factors such as fibrinogen, factor VII, and factor VIII in 45 men and women, according to the results of a study.

Nattokinase supplements have been available in the U.S. for about five years, and for two years in Europe.

Do you want to make a good first impression?  Here’s how:

• Smile and lean toward others as they talk
• If you’re standing, keep your body fully facing the people you’re talking to
• Ask questions and follow up on people’s remarks; focus on opinions and feelings, not just facts
• Don’t interrupt
• Compliment others
• Try to find common experiences or interests
• Mention some vulnerabilities and laugh at yourself
• Draw others out and encourage people to join the conversation
• Put energy in your voice
• At least at the start, focus on positive comments, not criticisms or complaints
• Offer a variety of topics
• Share observations about everyday life
• Share your passions and interests
• Don’t dwell on the minutiae of your life, especially annoyances
• Remember that people give more weight to early information than to later information, so be your most charming at the beginning of the conversation
• Remember that most people are more eager to be found interesting, funny, or insightful than to be interested, amused, or informed by you

Equinox, which runs 48 U.S. gyms, and Town Sports International Holdings, the owner of the New York Sports Clubs, report an increase in gym attendance as consumers grappling with the recession seek to relieve their stress. What’s more, in a survey released last week, 84 percent of those polled said there is no better time than now to invest in their health.

With the unemployment rate at the highest in 25 years, consumers are taking fewer vacations and business trips, and spending less on entertainment, all of which can lead to more trips to the gym.

The gym and fitness-club market will likely grow 2.2 percent this year to $24.3 billion.

Pregnant women who took the popular epilepsy drug Valproate, which is also widely used to treat migraines, pain and psychiatric disorders, had children whose I.Q. scores were significantly lowered.

Valproate, which is sold generically and under the brand name Depakote, remains the second most popular antiseizure medication used for epilepsy. Earlier studies found that use during pregnancy also increased the risk of developmental delays and major malformations.

All epilepsy drugs may pose risks to pregnant women, but three-year-olds whose mothers had taken Valproate during pregnancy had I.Q. scores that were nine points lower, on average, than children whose mothers had taken a different antiseizure medication.

New research findings show that omega three fats in your diet protects your brain cells. It works by preventing the misfolding of a protein resulting from a gene mutation in neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson's and Huntington's.

Researchers developed a cell model with a mutation of the Ataxin-1 gene, which induces the misfolding of the protein. These deformed proteins cannot be properly processed by the cell machinery, resulting in tangled clumps of toxic protein that eventually kill the cell. But the omega three fat docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) protects cells from this defect.

The same researchers discovered earlier that neuroprotectin D1 (NPD1), a naturally-occurring molecule in the human brain that is derived from DHA, also promotes brain cell survival. NPD1 is capable of rescuing the dying cells with the pathological type of Ataxin-1, keeping their integrity intact.

The biotechnology industry likes to claim that genetically engineered crops will produce higher yields. But according to Failure to Yield, a report by the Union of Concerned Scientists, traditional genetic crosses actually outperform genetically modified crops by a wide margin. 

Failure to Yield is the first report to closely evaluate the overall effect of genetic engineering on crop yields. It reviewed two dozen academic studies of corn and soybeans, and concluded that genetically engineering herbicide-tolerant soybeans and herbicide-tolerant corn has not increased yields.

The biotechnology industry has been promising better yields since the mid-1990’s, but Failure to Yield documents that the industry has been carrying out gene field trials to increase yields for 20 years without significant results.

About 8.5 percent of children and teens who play video games are addicted to them, according to a new study. The study is based on a survey of more than 1,000 U.S. youths.

Douglas Gentile, the author of the study, actually began his research not believing that video games could be addictive. He's changed his mind. "What we mean by pathological use is that something someone is doing -- in this case, playing video games -- is damaging to their functioning," Gentile said. "It's not simply doing it a lot. It has to harm functioning in multiple ways."

The pathological gamers in the study played video games 24 hours per week, and they were more likely to have video game systems in their bedrooms. They reported having more trouble paying attention in school, received poorer grades, had more health problems, were more likely to feel "addicted," and even stole to support their habit.

U.S. manufacturers have released at least 271 million pounds of pharmaceuticals into waterways. Many of the waterways are sources of drinking water, but the contamination has been consistently ignored by the federal government.

Pharmaceutical ingredients are by many manufacturers. In addition to runoff from pharmaceutical companies themselves, lithium, nitroglycerin and copper are all used in both medicines and industrial processes.

Federal officials say they don't know the extent of the problem because no one keeps tracks of it. However, the EPA monitors some pharmaceutical chemicals as industrial chemicals, and the FDA tracks some active drug ingredients.

Even extremely diluted concentrations of drugs can harm fish, frogs and other aquatic species, and human cells fail to grow normally in the laboratory when exposed to trace concentrations of drugs. Some scientists are concerned that the consumption of trace amounts of many drugs could harm people over the course of decades.

The illegal use of injected silicone as an alternative to cosmetic surgery is on the rise.

An underground beauty industry uses injections of black-market, medical-grade silicone or industrial-grade silicone as a cheap, fast and easily accessible way to plump up breasts, buttocks and thighs. But silicone can migrate through the bloodstream, creating potentially fatal clots in the lungs, and it can also migrate through tissues, leading to ugly lumps and chronic pain

New York City’s poison control center has received three calls in the last 10 months from doctors who have treated patients injected with silicone. In the previous two years, there were only two such cases total.

There may be other cases that have gone unreported. Doctors are not legally obligated to report silicone poisoning or even death, and silicone is hard to detect through X-rays or CT scans.

Nationally, reports of buttock enhancement using silicone and similar thick liquids have surfaced throughout the U.S.  Silicone is not approved for injection into tissues at all.

Young women who use oral contraceptives may not get as much out of their weight-lifting routine as women who are not on the pill. A study suggests that oral contraceptive use impairs muscle gains from resistance exercise training in women.

For the study, 73 healthy women between the ages of 18 and 31 participated in whole-body resistance exercises three times a week for 10 weeks. About half of the women used oral contraceptives.

According to the researchers, there were marked differences in lean muscle mass gains between the two groups. Lean muscle increased by just 2.1 percent in oral contraceptive users, compared with 3.5 percent in those who did not use oral contraceptives.

Eating blueberries could help you get rid of belly fat, and a blueberry-enriched diet could stem the conditions that lead to diabetes.

New research gives tantalizing clues to the potential of blueberries in reducing risk factors for cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. The effect is thought to be due to the high level of naturally occurring antioxidants called phytochemicals contained in blueberries.

Researchers studied the effect blueberries had when added to the diet of rats. After 90 days, rats that received a blueberry-enriched diet had less abdominal fat, lower triglycerides, lower cholesterol, and improved fasting glucose and insulin sensitivity.

Boys who swim frequently in swimming pools may be at increased risk of developing asthma. A new study of 6 to 12 year old boys found a significant association between the number of years a boy had been swimming and the likelihood of the child being wheezy in the past year.

The more years a boy had been attending an indoor chlorinated pool, the greater the likelihood of his having asthma.

Parents of some more than 120 boys were questioned about how often the boys went swimming in chlorinated indoor pools. The results showed most boys did so once a week.

A significant link was shown to exist between the number of years spent swimming and a diagnosis of asthma, as well as whether a boy had experienced wheezing in the previous 12 months.

by Jonathan V. Wright, M.D.

(with thanks to Jennifer Berkowitz and the Fund for Personal Liberty)

You’ve been forced to pay Social “Security” taxes since you started working whether you wanted to or not. In return, you’ve been promised that when you retire, Social “Security” will pay you a small amount every month (an amount too small to be called “security”, but that’s a discussion for another time). But did you know that when you apply for Social “Security,” you’ll be refused -- yes, refused the right to your own money! -- unless you also sign up for Medicare (or, as I call it, “Mediocare”) Part A? (Part A is a hospital care program for those over 65).

When Congress created Social “Security” in the 1930s, Mediocare didn’t exist. And when the Mediocare program was created in the 1960s, there was no legal provision written to link the two programs. Yet little-known administrative policies adopted by los Federales in 1993 and strengthened in 2002 say that seniors can't refuse Mediocare, Part A coverage unless they forgo Social “Security” too -- even if they’ve paid Social “Security” taxes their entire working careers! Adding insult to injury, once you’re enrolled in “Mediocare,” the only way you can withdraw -- according to the bureaucracy’s edict -- is to repay all Social “Security” money you received, as well as any hospitalization benefits “Mediocare” may have paid on your behalf.

You might wonder why it matters. Why would you want to pay for your own hospitalization when you can get it for “free” through Mediocare, Part A -- especially when you’ve been forced to pay Mediocare taxes for all or most of your working career?

Perhaps the most important reason is the quality of care -- or more precisely, the lack of it -- “covered” by Mediocare.

Despite having paid thousands upon thousands in Mediocare taxes over the years, you’re only “allowed” to have the diagnostic and treatment procedures “approved” by los Federales. Anything else, even if it could save your life, isn’t “allowed.” If you’re “covered” by Mediocare, you’re not even supposed to go “outside the (Mediocare) system” for an “unapproved” diagnostic procedure or treatment -- even if you pay for it yourself! (Apparently, that’s how los Federales define “American freedom.”)

Another reason to consider not enrolling in Mediocare is the total lack of doctor-patient confidentiality. According to the Institute for Health Freedom, at least 600,000 individuals, institutions, and “entities” may be authorized by Mediocare bureaucrats to read any of your medical records kept in electronic form at any time -- without your knowledge or consent! And the recently enacted so-called “economic stimulus program” contains provisions that will make this lack of medical privacy situation even worse.

Keeping your freedom -- and your benefits!

Now, the good news: Five people have filed a lawsuit challenging these unconstitutional, illegal, and coercive policies.  They’re backed by the Fund for Personal Liberty, a 501(c)3 (tax-exempt) eligible organization, and represented by the law firm of Kent Masterson Brown, a well known health care and constitutional law specialist (and published Civil War historian). Known as Brian Hall et al v. Charles E. Johnson et al, the lawsuit seeks to permanently prohibit the Social Security Administration and Department of Health and Human Services from continuing the policies that force American citizens to participate in Mediocare, Part A (a supposedly “voluntary” program) in order to have some of their Social “Security” taxes returned as “benefits.”

The five plaintiffs allege that mandatory enrollment in Mediocare violates the Constitution, as well as the Social Security and Medicare Acts. They also state that the rules were put into place without proper “notice” and “comment,” as required by federal law.

The lawsuit is slowly making its way through the court system. Presiding Judge Rosemary Collyer (U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia) disappointingly denied the lead plaintiff’s request for a temporary restraining order barring the Department of Health and Human Services from forcing him into Mediocare. (The judge did, however, make it clear that this ruling has no bearing on the merits of the case.) Instead, she seemed to provide early indications that she might very well support the plaintiffs’ position, writing: “It is passing strange that SSA insists that all persons receiving Social Security retirement benefits, a federal program that is running out of money, also must be part of Medicare Part A, another federal program that overruns budgets.”

Not surprisingly, the government has filed a motion to dismiss the case. The plaintiffs, meanwhile, have asked the court -- on the basis of the overwhelming weight of the evidence on their side -- for summary judgment, which is a ruling in their favor without a trial.

The two sides will meet again in Judge Collyer’s courtroom on May 22nd. The plaintiffs and their legal counsel are confident they will eventually win their case, but they still have a long way to go.  While they are capable of paying their own medical bills, they unfortunately are not also capable of paying the mounting legal fees necessary to restore the freedom that all Americans over 65 had by right from 1783 through 1992 -- the freedom to pay their own hospital bills if they prefer to do so!

That’s where I’m hoping you will help!

Please consider supporting their courageous efforts to restore a part of health care freedom for all “free citizens” by sending a donation to the Fund for Personal Liberty, c/o Webster, Chamberlain & Bean, 1747 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20006. Thank you!         

If you would like to learn more information about this important legal effort, visit www.medicarelawsuit.org.

Quest Diagnostics, which operates medical testing labs, will pay $302 million for misleading marketing practices as part of a settlement with the federal government. Quest also entered into a nonprosecution agreement.

The case stemmed from marketing materials for a parathyroid hormone test.

The Justice Department said the settlement was one of the largest recoveries in a case involving a medical device. A Quest subsidiary inaccurately marketed unproven advantages to the Nichols Advantage Chemiluminescence Intact Parathyroid Hormone Immunoassay.

Jet lag could be caused by two groups of cells at the base of your brain falling out of synch.

Your body has a built-in time-keeping system known as a circadian rhythm. This system is partly governed by the cycle of day and night. Changing time zones, or working a late shift, can throw off your body's sense of timing because it changes the timing of your exposure to light.

Researchers found that in rats, the disruption occurs in two groups of brain cells. The groups are separate, but linked in a structure called the suprachiasmatic nucleus, below the hypothalamus at the base of your brain.

One group receives light information directly from the eyes and governs rhythms in tune with periods of light and dark. These neurons are synchronized with the deep sleep associated with physical fatigue. The other group is insensitive to changes in light, and is more closely tied to REM sleep. Usually, these two groups of neurons work together. But when the light-dark cycle shifts, it can throw them out of synch.

Fiber-rich bamboo shoots may improve cholesterol levels and improve bowel health, according to the results of a small study.

Supplementing your diet with bamboo shoots could result in reductions in your LDL cholesterol levels. Furthermore, it can significantly increase fecal volume and the number of bowel movements.

Fiber intake has been shown to benefit gastrointestinal health, glucose handling, heart health, cancer risk and satiety, but these benefits are dependent on the types of fiber present in foods. Eight percent of the fiber content of bamboo shoots is soluble, with the other 92 percent present as insoluble fiber. Most of the dietary fiber in the shoots is hemicellulose, cellulose, pectin, and lignin.