While this type of therapy may not be suitable for everyone, the extremely positive results of this small study suggests that such high intensity exercising could play a key role alongside drug treatment in the treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Read the full story on BBC Health here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10864601

In this study some 500 mothers were rated on their ability to comfort and respond to the needs of their babies. Thirty years later, the researchers approached the children, who were now adults, and asked them to take part in a survey about their well-being and emotions. The results showed that the children whose mothers gave them lots of love and affectionate were better able to cope as adults with all kinds of distress.

Read the full story on BBC Health: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-10759511

You can read the full story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tyne-10687910

It seems that having a big head is an indication that there are more brain reserves to “buffer against dementia-related brain cell death.”

Read the full story on BBC Health: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10596344.stm

Well surprise, surprise, now low Vitamin D levels are being associated with dementia in the elderly.  According to a study reported in Reuters Health:

“Researchers from Britain, Italy and the United States studied 850 Italians aged 65 or older and found that those who were severely vitamin D deficient were 60 percent more likely to experience substantial general cognitive decline, and 31 percent more likely to experience problems with mental flexibility.”

Unfortunately the news is not as good for some other types of cancer, notably lung and pancreatic cancer.

Check out the full story on BBC Health News:  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/10569097.stm

Photo courtesy BIXI

The city of Montreal has got to be one of my favorite destinations. I guess I may be slightly biased because my daughter goes to university in Montreal. But there really are a lot of things that make this city so appealing. One of my favorites is the way that Montreal makes use of active transportation which helps its population to adopt healthy lifestyles. And healthy lifestyles means a healthier population.

How have they accomplished this?  Starting with a network of bike paths that measures more than 560 km, Montreal has been ranked the fourth best city for cycling in North America. There are a lot of bikes in Montreal and it’s not just about students on bikes. People of all ages use bikes as an inexpensive and healthy active mode of transportation.

And things have gotten even better for cyclists in Montreal with the launch of a public bike system called BIXI last year. (the name BIXI is really a combination of the words bike and taxi). This innovative service makes some 5,000 public bikes available to the public across the city, making it even easier for people to adopt a healthy lifestyle.

In fact, BIXI has become an alternative means of urban transport. It’s accessible to everyone, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, three seasons of the year, from May to November.  And how does a public bike service work? The city put its partner, Stationnement de Montréal, in charge of developing and managing the BIXI self-service bike system, as the organization had extensive expertise with computerized parking meters.

You take a bike from a BIXI station when you need one and leave it at any BIXI station when you arrive at your destination. And how do you know if there’s a space at the BIXI near your destination to leave the bike? Well – there’s an app for that! How’s that for convenience.  And believe it or not, the first 30 minutes on your BIXI is free with affordable rates for additional time. The system is both simple and original and a boon to health and wellness.

Montreal is the first North American city with a self service bike network of this size and is supporting the service by promoting its bike paths to BIXI users and tourists. The map also indicates the location of BIXI stations – just in case you don’t have an iPhone.

A great city with a great urban transportation plan that supports healthy lifestyles. A word of caution – driving in Montreal can be a bit tricky with all of those bike paths and cyclists on the road. So be careful.

As a recap, retailers like Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale and GAP were found accepting returns on underwear and swimwear, re-tagging these items and placing them back on the sales floor. They were reselling used underwear! We all collectively said “EWW”

But msnbc did a follow up story yesterday and I was greatly relieved to hear that Macy’s, Victoria’s Secret, Nordstrom and GAP have all come clean. (no pun intended) Some of these retailers were flat out refusing to accept used underwear returns. Others were accepting returns on used underwear, but not reselling the items. Now that’s good news.

But before you can give a final sigh of relief, msnbc investigators decided to test some new big brand retailers including Target, Wallmart, JC Penny and Marshalls, giving them the same test. The investigators purchased underwear and swimwear, removed the tags and protective linings, and in some cases stained these items with baby oil before returning them to the stores.

So who’s on the chopping block this week? Well here’s the dirt.  First, the good guys: Target and JC Penny both took back the used underwear and swimsuit items but did not return them to the sales floor for resale.

And the BAD guys: Marshalls and Wallmart provided refunds for the used underwear and then re-tagged and returned these items to the sales floor. Shame, shame, shame!

So as usual, the management of these stores claimed that this was absolutely not their policy and vowed to “re-educate” their staff about proper operating procedures.

Now what really bothers me is that the first nsnbc expose was widely publicized – in the news, on YouTube and in numbers blog posts, mine included. So you would think that any underwear retailer would have the common sense and quite frankly the common decency to make sure that their associates were not reselling used underwear For retailers to be caught with their pant down when this issue has been so widely publicized is simply not acceptable.

And this begs the question: Do we only do the right thing when the light is shining on us – when all eyes are on us?

Bottom Line: ladies we just have to keep washing these garments before we wear them.

But it get’s worse…. at Macy’s, Bloomingdales, Victoria’s Secret, and GAP, store clerks were filmed re-tagging the underwear and returning them to the sales floor and reselling them as new items. Eww! In fairness to J Crew, Sacks and Express investigating reporters were not able to find the returned underwear back on their sales floor.

Back in the day – my day, stores would never accept returns on delicate unmentionables – for obvious reasons. When did this all change? But according to the report, it’s not illegal to resell used under garments. Eww.

And using someone’s used underwear has health implications… well duh – this is not rocket science.  According to the microbiologist featured on the Today’s Show, used undergarments can “harbor dangerous germs and diseases that can survive on fabric for weeks” with fecal matter being the most concerning substance. Eww, Eww.

Accepting returns on underwear and swimsuits is just wrong, it’s gross and it is unhealthy. Come on guys – is the retail market that bad that you need to stoop to such lengths for a sale? Shame on you!

What can we do to protect ourselves? Ladies, make sure to wash all underwear and swimsuits before wearing.

Watch the video clip  Here, I can hear you saying EWW, EWW, EWW.

The FDA is warning consumers not to purchase or consume a dietary supplement called Vita Breath because it may contain “high” levels of lead. The supplement is marketed to children and adults with asthma and to support among other things, the respiratory system.

And how did this contamination come to light? Was it the FDA that discovered this problem? Hardly lightly. It seems that some poor sod became ill after taking Vita Breath together with some other herbal products. Since most states have a reporting system for both presumed and confirmed cases of lead toxicity, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene was informed. It was this agency that informed the FDA.

According to Total Recall Info , The New York City Department of Health and Mental hygiene tested samples of Vita Breath and found that it contained 1,100 parts per million of lead. The allowable FDA level is .1 parts per million of lead. In plain English, the Vita Breath sample had 10,000 times the allowable level.

We haven’t heard anything as yet from the FDA watchdog and their test results.

Lead is very toxic. Here is a list of possible lead poisoning complications taken from the Lead Action News:

1. Altered testicular functioning
2. Hypospermia [low sperm count]
3. Asthenospermia [sperm weakness]
4. Teratospermia [sperm abnormalities]
5. Erectile dysfunction, impotence
6. Decreased serum testosterone
7. Lead presence in seminal fluid
8. Pituitary effects
9. Sterility, infertility
10. Effects on ovaries
11. Decreased libido / sex drive
12. Impotence

Kidneys

1. Renal damage
2. Chronic lead nephropathy [kidney disease]
3. Death from nephritis [kidney inflammation]
4. Fanconi Syndrome
5. Gout
6. Renal hypertension
7. Increase in creatinine concentration

Nervous system

1. Encephalopathy [brain disease]
2. Cerebrovascular diseases, stroke, cerebral haemorrhage
3. Psychomotor impairment
4. Peripheral nervous system impairment [eg wrist-drop]
5. Peripheral Arterial Disease
6. Slowed nerve conduction velocity [slowed reaction time]
7. Tremor
8. Paresthesia, paralysis

Cardiovascular and circulation

1. Hypertension, elevated blood pressure
2. Increased systolic blood pressure in men
3. Cardio-toxic effects
4. Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
5. Coronary artery disease
6. Anaemia; falling haemoglobin levels
7. Platelet dysfunction
8. Increased erythrocyte [red blood cell] protoporphyrin
9. Increased ALA in urine
10. Increased protoporphyrin in urine
11. Increased risk of early death from heart attack or stroke

Intellectual and mental

1. Depression
2. Anxiety
3. Personality changes
4. Death from violence, suicide, accidents
5. Impaired concentration
6. Deficits in short term memory
7. Cognitive function deficit

Behavior

1. Fatigue, muscular exhaustion
2. Sleep disturbance, insomnia
3. Irritability, agitation, restlessness, aggression

Sensory

1. Abnormalities in visuomotor coordination
2. Abnormalities in fine motor control
3. Deficits in visual acuity
4. Hearing loss
5. Somatosensory dysfunction [eg deficits in detection of vibration, changes in temperature]

Gastrointestinal / Digestive

1. Effects on gastrointestinal tract
2. Loss of appetite
3. Nausea
4. Constipation, diarrhoea
5. Abdominal pain, cramps
6. Weight loss, anorexia

Bone, muscle and joint

1. Bone marrow alterations
2. Myalgia [muscle pain]
3. Pain in buttocks and cramps in the legs as early stages of peripheral arterial diseases
4. Muscular weakness
5. Arthralgia [joint pain]
6. Bone marrow alterations
7. Bone lead mobilisation during menopause leads to decreased neurocognitive performance and increased systolic blood pressure in post-menopausal women
8. Wrist drop [the inability to hold the hand extended]
9. Long term effect: linked to osteoporosis which has symptoms of decline in bone density and increase risk in fractures, also inhibit normal fracture healing

Other

1. Headaches
2. Decreased longevity
3. Adrenal dysfunction
4. Teeth with blueblack-lines near gum base
5. Pallor
6. Cell damage (at blood lead level between 20 to 30 mg/dL for men and between 10 to 20 mg/dL for women)
7. Probable human carcinogen

Death

1. Increased risk of early death from cancer and all other causes

If you know anyone who has taken this product please refer them immediately to a medical professional.

Vita Breath is manufactured by American Herbal Lab Inc. and their website is coincidentally “temporarily down for maintenance.”  Remember that dietary supplements can be marketed without demonstrating either safety or effectiveness and do not need to be FDA approved.

And just some food for thought, why does the FDA allow any lead in our food supply to begin with?

To avoid toxicities like lead it is in our best interest to choose a dietary supplement that are made to pharmaceutical grade.