U.S. health officials have warned doctors and patients about potentially deadly risks of using the anti-wrinkle drug Botox and similar drugs to treat muscle spasms. The FDA said Botox and two other injections carry risks of rare botulism symptoms, particularly when given to children to help relax uncontrollable muscle movements.

Botox is best known for clearing wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles, but the botulin-based drug also is widely used for muscle-spasm conditions. But the toxin can spread beyond the injection site to other parts of the body, paralyzing or weakening the muscles used for breathing and swallowing, a potentially fatal side effect.

Signs of botulism can appear just hours after injection and include difficulty swallowing or breathing, slurred speech and muscle weakness. Most of the hospitalizations and deaths related to Botox have been children with cerebral palsy taking the drugs for spasticity in their legs.

Katharine Wroth of Grist was curious about her organic baby food options, so she took a look at several types of baby food.

She found that, among other results, Earth’s Best had an extensive selection, but also had high sodium levels. Gerber Organic was easy to find, but came in plastic containers. Organic Baby was from a good company, but was sometimes hard to find.

Plum Organics had BPA-free packaging, but a high price and limited flavor options. Happy Baby had the same advantages and the same problems. Little Lettice comes from a company that uses local ingredients and doesn’t ship outside the region, but that means it is only available in Massachusetts.

In the final analysis, the frozen baby foods tasted better than the jarred ones, but they would be prohibitively expensive if they were all you bought. However, they also noted that there is one option that is affordable, tasty, and healthy: making your own.

Obesity and arthritis that take root during early and middle age contribute to women's decreased quality of life during their senior years. In a study that included almost 6,000 people over 65, women suffered up to two and a half times more disabilities than men of the same age.

Higher rates of obesity and arthritis explained up to 48 percent of the gender gap in disability.

The study is the first to isolate the impact of specific chronic health conditions on the difference in disability rates between older men and women. The investigators were surprised to see the extent to which these conditions explained the gender difference in disability.

In addition to obesity and arthritis, the study found the women were more likely than men to experience fractures, vision problems and bronchitis. Men were more likely to have emphysema, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, stroke, diabetes and hearing problems.

Low blood levels of magnesium can increase your risk of stroke by 25 percent.

According to a new study, increasing levels of the mineral could decrease your risk of ischemic stroke. The effects are related to magnesium’s benefits on blood pressure and for diabetics.

Diet is known to have an impact on your risk of having a stroke, and in particular a connection has been made between sodium and hypertension. However, magnesium, potassium and calcium have all been inversely linked to hypertension in some studies.

Dietary sources of magnesium include green, leafy vegetables, meats, starches, grains, nuts, and milk. A large portion of adults do not meet the RDA for magnesium -- 320 mg per day for women and 420 mg per day for men.

By Dr. Mercola

There’s little doubt that a bra is an important support device, particularly for women with large breasts who may suffer serious discomfort and even pain otherwise.

However, wearing certain types of bras might not be in your best interest. In fact, if you’re in the habit of wearing the most popular styles, you may be setting yourself up for some potentially serious health problems.

Is Your Bra Helping or Harming Your Body?

There are several potential problems with bras. And while some types of bras are worse than others, simply wearing an ill-fitting bra could spell trouble.

Many physicians and researchers now agree that wearing a tight fitting bra can cut off lymph drainage, which can contribute to the development of breast cancer,[1] as your body will be less able to excrete all the toxins you’re exposed to on a daily basis. Aluminum from antiperspirants, for example, is one potentially dangerous source of toxins that can accumulate if your lymph drainage is impaired.

Says Dr. Michael Schacter, M.D. in his article, The Prevention and Complementary Treatment of Breast Cancer[2]:

"Over 85 percent of the lymph fluid flowing from the breast drains to the armpit lymph nodes. Most of the rest drains to the nodes along the breast bone. Bras and other external tight clothing can impede flow.

The nature of the bra, the tightness, and the length of time worn, will all influence the degree of blockage of lymphatic drainage. Thus, wearing a bra might contribute to the development of breast cancer as a result of cutting off lymphatic drainage, so that toxic chemicals are trapped in the breast."

Constricting bras have also been implicated in the rise of benign (non-cancerous) but often painful breast cysts and lumps. Says Dr. Dr. John McDougall, M.D., in his book titled The McDougall Program for a Healthy Heart:

"After repeated bouts of inflammation, the breasts develop scar tissue in many places, and some of the milk ducts become plugged, forming cysts. Fibrocystic breast disease, not surprisingly, is associated with a higher risk of breast cancer[3]."

You can avoid some of the improper drainage issues if you wear a bra that is properly fitted. Many, many women simply wear bras that do not fit. The website Linda’s Bra School offers plenty of guidance on proper bra fitting and can help you find a more appropriate bra style.

The Underwire Bra -- A Cancer-Causing Device?

But far worse for your health than tight or ill-fitting bras is the most popular type of all -- the underwire bra.

It’s important to realize that nearly all underwire bras contain metal underwires, coated with plastic. And it is the metal that could ruin your long-term health.

In his 1975 article, Chinese Lessons For Modern Chiropractors, Dr. George Goodheart – known as “the father of Applied Kinesiology” -- explained what he calls the "Antenna Effect."  Essentially, he discovered that by taping a small metal ball over an acupuncture point, you could achieve longer-term stimulation to that point in question. This discovery led to what are now known as AcuAids -- small magnetic patches that are used by thousands of doctors across the world.

However, just like a small metal ball, any metal constantly applied to any given energy channel or point on your body can have the same stimulating effect.

As described by John D. Andre, D.C., N.D.[4], below your breasts are two important neuro-lymphatic reflex points.  The one below your right breast corresponds to your Liver and Gallbladder. The one below your left breast goes to your Stomach.

He goes on to say:

“These reflexes, like all acupuncture points, follow the Law of Stimulation. In the beginning of stimulating a point, it is stimulated - often causing an increase in associated function. Later on, this continued stimulation causes sedation of that point and a subsequent decrease in its associated function. It's a mechanical thing. 

If a woman keeps the metal underwires on top of those reflex points, over time that WILL mess up the functioning of the associated circuits: Liver, Gall Bladder, and Stomach. 

Bottom Line: It will likely make her sick; slowly and quietly.”

In addition to that, the metal wire can also act as an antenna attracting electromagnetic fields, which can also increase your risk of breast cancer.

Bra Wearers May Face Up to 125-Fold Higher Cancer Risk

Medical anthropologists Sydney Singer and Soma Grismaijer -- authors of Dressed to Kill: The Link Between Breast Cancer and Bras -- conducted a study of over 4,000 women, and found that women who do not wear bras have a much lower risk of breast cancer.[5]

Their findings included:

• Women who wore their bras 24 hours per day had a 3 out of 4 chance of developing breast cancer
• Women who wore bras more than 12 hour per day, but not to bed, had a 1 out of 7 risk
• Women who wore their bras less than 12 hours per day had a 1 out of 52 risk
• Women who wore bras rarely or never had a 1 out of 168 chance of getting breast cancer

The overall difference between women who wore their bras 24-hours a day and those who did not wear bras at all was a 125-fold difference. Based on the results of this study, the link between bras and breast cancer is about three times greater than the link between cigarette smoking and cancer.

Singer and Grismaijer also found that about 90 percent of fibrocystic patients improve when they quit wearing bras.

I believe the results of this study are compelling, despite the fact that it was not a controlled study for other risk factors. There are few solid studies on bra wearing and breast cancer, but research showing links between the two is not entirely nonexistent.

For example, one 1991 study, published in the European Journal of Cancer, found that premenopausal women who did not wear bras had half the risk of breast cancer compared with bra users.[6]

Another group of Japanese researchers discovered that wearing a girdle or bra can lower your levels of melatonin by 60 percent.[7] The hormone melatonin is intimately involved with the regulation of your sleep cycles, and numerous studies have shown that melatonin has anti-cancer activities.[8] It’s also a powerful antioxidant, and can prevent DNA damage and bind to T-helper cells. Furthermore, researchers in Spain published a study detailing the possible use of melatonin in breast cancer prevention and treatment.[9]

Healthier Options are Available

Wearing metal on your body is something you generally want to avoid, and since many women wear their bras for the better part of the day, it would be sensible to find a healthier alternative to your metal underwire bras.

If you feel you need the underwire, please consider switching out the metal wire in your favorite bra for a plastic wire. You may be able to find them in your local fabric store, or you can purchase them online. BraMakersSupply.com is a great resource.

Simply replacing your metal underwires with plastic ones are your best alternative solution if you don’t want to forego the underwire entirely.

You can easily do this on your own simply by snipping a tiny hole in the fabric at the end of the underwire, on the inside of your bra. Slide the old wire out and replace it with the plastic wire, which can easily be cut to the correct length to fit. Then throw a few stitches across the hole to keep the wire from sliding out of the casing.

BraMakersSupply.com is one of the few companies that carry the whole range of plastic wire sizes and ship across the world. And at $2 per pair, protecting your long-term health couldn’t be much more affordable.

An even better option is to opt for a wireless style bra, which are now available in most brands, and for various levels of support. Sports bras and camisoles with a built-in shelf bra are other options that can work well, especially if your bust is on the smaller side.

A Healthy Life Depends on Healthy Choices

Life comes down to the choices you make, and then living with the results.  It’s important to remember that you almost always have options -- healthier options. Some require more work than others, but in this case it really won’t take much to make a meaningful change that can help you have a healthier body and life.

Switching out your bras won’t replace the need for an otherwise healthy lifestyle to avoid breast cancer. But it may be a very useful adjunct.

References

U.S. government health officials have warned dieters and body builders to immediately stop using Hydroxycut, a widely sold diet supplement that has been linked to cases of serious liver damage and at least one death.

The company that makes the dietary supplement has agreed to recall 14 Hydroxycut products. Patients experienced symptoms ranging from jaundice to liver failure.

Dietary supplements aren't as tightly regulated as medications. Manufacturers have no need to prove to the FDA that their products are safe and effective before they can sell them. The FDA relies on voluntary reports to detect problems.

A group of endocrinologists have observed that very sick patients tend to have very low levels of vitamin D. The sicker they are, the lower the levels.

When they examined a cohort of 42 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) patients, 45 percent turned out to be vitamin D deficient.

Vitamin D gas roles in controlling sugar, calcium, heart function, gut integrity, immunity and defense against infection. Patients in ICU suffer from different degrees of inflammation, infection, heart dysfunction, diarrhea and metabolic dysregulation, so vitamin D deficiency may play a role in each of these common ICU conditions.

Researchers have found that people who sleep too much or not enough are both at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance. The risk is 2 and a half times higher for people who sleep less than 7 hours or more than 8 hours a night.

The researchers arrived at this conclusion after analyzing the life habits of close to 300 subjects over a 6-year period. About 20 percent of those with long and short sleep duration developed type 2 diabetes or impaired glucose tolerance, versus only 7 percent among subjects who were average duration sleepers.

Diabetes is not the only risk associated with sleep duration. A growing number of studies show a similar relationship between sleep and obesity, cardiovascular disease, and overall mortality.

The risk of Parkinson's disease increases in people who live near farm fields sprayed with a combination of pesticides. A recent study found that people who lived near fields sprayed with pesticides used on crops such as potatoes, dry beans and tomatoes showed the increased risk.

These results add to the growing literature suggesting that exposure to multiple chemicals may be more harmful than exposure to individual chemicals.

The cause of Parkinson’s disease is still a mystery, but reports of higher risks of this ailment in farmers and rural populations have lead some to hypothesize that exposure to pesticide mixtures may be a contributor.

Possible anti-obesity effects of white tea have been demonstrated in a series of experiments on human fat cells. Researchers have now shown that an extract of the herbal brew inhibits the generation of new fat cells, and stimulates fat mobilization from mature fat cells.

White tea is the least processed version of the tea plant Camellia sinensis. It is made from the buds and first leaves of the plant used to make green tea and black tea.

White tea is less processed than other teas, and contains more of the ingredients thought to be active on human cells -- such as methylxanthines (like caffeine) and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG), which researchers believe may be responsible for many of the anti-obesity effects demonstrated in the study.

Self-perspective is one of the hardest things to understand. There’s nothing more dangerous or helpful to your individual success than high self-image. Love or hate them, Google is an excellent example of masterful self-image.

1. You don’t have to change to fit in. Google knew what they were: a great search engine. Yet instead of tinkering with the latest thing, they got big by continuing to improve their bread-winning product, Google Search.

2. Become insanely successful at one thing, and use your confidence to branch out. Once they were the best at what they did, they branched into many other arenas like contextual advertising, feed readers, as well as every other aspect of digital life.

3. Not too fast, now. You can’t rush perfection. It took Google quite a long time before they started looking at other projects. Positive self-image is a lot like that: You don’t have to rush things. You have to believe what you’re doing is worth waiting for.

4. Always act like you know what you’re doing. Google will lead you to believe that they’ve known what they were doing from day one. This is impossible. Believe it or not, they have screwed up before. They have had growing pains. But so does everybody. It’s OK to occasionally act like you know what you’re doing, even if you really don’t.

You can form your self-image in one word: Confidence. Be confident enough not to rush, or sell out, and you can even act like you know what you’re doing (when you really don’t) from time to time. Walk like you know you’re the best thing to hit the block since Google, and you’ll be fine.

There has been a good deal of excitement about the promise of stevia as a natural alternative to artificial sweeteners. Rebaudioside A, also known as Reb A and rebiana, is a high-intensity sweetener derived from the stevia leaf. It is said to be approximately 200 times sweeter than sugar.

The majority of the science has found that stevia is safe for use as a sweetener for foods and beverages. Scientists are currently exploring ways to mask the liquorice or bitter flavors associated with the Reb A stevia extract. Attempts have included examining taste responses to Rebaudioside A “at a cellular level” to using natural masking flavors to cover the bitter aftertaste.

Stevia glycosides (SGs) have been reported to not only sweeten but also have some health benefits, including effects on blood pressure and blood sugar levels. A report from Indian researchers in 2007 also found that stevia may be a rich source of antioxidants and may protect against DNA damage and cancer.

Women and girls who receive the Gardasil vaccine to prevent the sexually transmitted disease HPV may be at increased risk of a serious disorder of the nervous system in the first few weeks after getting their shots.

Researchers have found clear evidence of an increased incidence of Guillain-Barre syndrome in the first six weeks, especially the first two weeks, after vaccination.

Guillain-Barre syndrome is a nervous system disorder in which the body's immune system attacks part of the nervous system. This immune system malfunction is usually triggered by an infection, such as with flu virus, or other illness. Sometimes, however, surgery or vaccinations will trigger the syndrome.

The link between Guillain-Barre syndrome and vaccinations isn't clear, but a definite connection was first noticed during the 1976-1977 swine flu scare.

A standardized oat extract may reduce cravings for smoking, and offer potential quitters an alternative to the patches and gums.

A daily supplement of an oats herb extract was found to reduce tobacco consumption from about 20 to fewer than nine cigarettes per day, according to results of a pilot study.

Researchers recruited eight smokers who were given daily 900 mg supplements of 900 mg of the extract for 28 months. At the end of the study, the average number of cigarettes smoked decreased from 19.5 per day to 8.9 per day.