Garden of Healing® The Star Raconteur™

NIH will start keeping track of patients' radiation exposure

2010-02-01T11:13:00.000-08:00

TOXICITY

NIH will start keeping track of patients' radiation exposure

By Liz Szabo

Source:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-02-01-radiation01_ST_N.htm

Concerned that Americans may be accumulating too much lifetime radiation exposure from medical tests, doctors at the National Institutes of Health will begin recording how much radiation patients receive from CT scans and other procedures in their electronic medical records.

A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine in December estimated that radiation from such procedures, whose use has grown dramatically in recent years, causes 29,000 new cancers and 14,500 deaths a year.

A second Archivesstudy that month said the problem could be even worse, calculating that patients get four times as much radiation from imaging tests as previously believed. Children are particularly vulnerable because they're small and still growing.

For the full article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-02-01-radiation01_ST_N.htm

Copyright 2010 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Healing Power

2010-01-27T14:57:00.000-08:00

GARDENS OF HEALING

Healing Power
A cancer patient's dying wish becomes a gift of hope and serenity for others at Straub

Source:
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20100127_Healing_power.html

An 87-year-old woman waiting to see her doctor in the Cancer Outpatient Treatment Center at Straub Clinic & Hospital said she "felt healed" looking out at the garden.

"I remarked to another lady, 'It's so peaceful,' and I didn't even know what it was," Celia King said upon learning it is a "healing garden."

The garden is the hub of a newly renovated and expanded $2.4 million Cancer Center at Straub. The grand opening will be from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. tomorrow.

It was inspired by Carlton Higa, a Straub patient who died Dec. 7, 2006, at age 49 with multiple medical problems after months in the intensive care unit, said Art Gladstone, chief operating officer.

For the full article:
http://www.starbulletin.com/news/hawaiinews/20100127_Healing_power.html

Copyright © 2010 Starbulletin.com. All rights reserved.

Genetic Study Targets Cancer in Kids

2010-01-26T15:58:00.000-08:00

GENETICS

Genetic Study Targets Cancer in Kids
St. Jude, Washington U. launch $65M effort to ID pediatric cancer genes

Source:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-01-26-genome26_st_N.htm

Two leading medical centers on Monday launched the largest effort to date to find all of the genetic mutations that cause childhood cancer.

Doctors at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis say the three-year, $65 million project could help them develop new treatments for pediatric cancer, which strikes more 10,000 American children under age 14 every year.

For the full article:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2010-01-26-genome26_st_N.htm

Copyright 2010 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Eat Pomegranates to Prevent Breast Cancer

2010-01-19T14:50:00.001-08:00

FOOD AS MEDICINE

Eat Pomegranates to Prevent Breast Cancer

Source: Scientific Blogging.Com
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_articles/eat_pomegranates_prevent_breast_cancer

Fruits that contain anti-aromatase phytochemicals, such as pomegranates, may reduce the incidence of hormone-dependent breast cancer, according to research published in the January issue of Cancer Prevention Research. The authors say that pomegranate is enriched in a series of compounds known as ellagitannins that appear to be responsible for the fruit's anti-proliferative effect.

"Phytochemicals suppress estrogen production that prevents the proliferation of breast cancer cells and the growth of estrogen-responsive tumors," said principal investigator Shiuan Chen, Ph.D., director of the Division of Tumor Cell Biology and co-leader of the Breast Cancer Research Program at City of Hope in Duarte, Calif.

For the full article:
http://www.scientificblogging.com/news_articles/eat_pomegranates_prevent_breast_cancer

© 2010 ION Publications LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Crisis in Haiti & Disaster Relief: Donate Your Gift Now

2010-01-16T13:40:00.000-08:00

DISASTER RELIEF

Crisis in Haiti & Disaster Relief: Donate Your Gift Now
Help distribute life-saving relief supplies – including food, clean water, blankets, and tents, to children and families devastated by the earthquake and aftershocks in Haiti.

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake/

A massive, 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti near the capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday, January 12th. The damage to buildings is extensive and the number of injured or dead is estimated to be in the tens of thousands.

The World waits as international organizations needing donations are rushing emergency supplies to survivors of this catastrophe.

Your gift now will help to get rescue efforts underway.

Donate now.

William J. Clinton Foundation - Haiti

http://www.clintonfoundation.org/haitiearthquake/

Make a difference in the recovery effort in earthquake-ravaged Haiti; the need will be great for years to come and your small or large donation will help in this time of dire need.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. All Rights Reserved.

New York City Mayor Seeks to Trim Salt from Diets

2010-01-12T15:32:00.000-08:00

HEALTH BRIEFS

New York City Mayor seeks to trim salt from diets
Health experts say Americans now eat about twice the amount of salt they should.

Garden of Healing®

New York City is focusing on sodium as the next unhealthy enemy in its crusade to coax people into eating better.

The city's health department released draft guidelines Monday recommending that companies voluntarily limit the amount of salt in a variety of manufactured and packaged foods in an effort to help reduce the average American's salt intake by 20% in five years. The recommended salt reductions range from a 20% drop in peanut butter to a 40% decline in canned vegetables.

Health experts say Americans now eat about twice the amount of salt they should. Too much sodium can contribute to high blood pressure, which can cause heart attack and stroke.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. All Rights Reserved.

Suppressing Tinnitus With Music Therapy

2010-01-05T17:34:00.000-08:00

HEARING

Suppressing Tinnitus With Music Therapy

By Henry Fountain

Source: The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/science/05obhear.html

Subjective tinnitus, the ringing or other noise that often accompanies noise-related hearing loss, is a tough problem to treat. But researchers in Germany have come up with a novel approach, a kind of music therapy in which the music is custom-tailored to the person with tinnitus.

The technique, by Hidehiko Okamoto, Henning Stracke and Christo Pantev of Westfalian Wilhelms-University and Wolfgang Stoll of Muenster University Hospital, makes use of recent findings about a possible cause of tinnitus: reorganization of the auditory cortex, the part of the brain responsible for perceiving sound, in response to noise exposure. Other research has shown that behavioral training may reverse faulty cortical reorganization.

The researchers allowed patients to choose their favorite music, which was then “notched” — a one-octave frequency band, centered on the frequency of the ringing experienced by the subject, was filtered out. The subjects listened to the music on average about 12 hours a week.

After a year, the researchers report in The Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, those who listened to this custom-notched music reported a significant improvement in their tinnitus — the ringing was not as loud — compared with others who listened to music that was notched at frequencies not corresponding to their ringing frequency.

The researchers suggest that two things might be happening in the auditory cortex to bring about the improvement. The neurons in the cortex related to the ringing frequency are presumably not being stimulated, because those frequencies are absent from the music. At the same time, nearby neurons may have been actively suppressing the tinnitus-related neurons, through a process known as lateral inhibition.

Source: The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/05/science/05obhear.html

Copyright 2010 The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.

Could Stem Cells Cure AIDS?

2010-01-04T13:37:00.000-08:00

NEWS FEATURE

Could Stem Cells Cure AIDS?
A UCLA professor behind an astounding stem-cell study discusses the possibility that a cure could be within our grasp.

By Neal Boverman

Source: The Advocate
http://www.advocate.com/Health_and_Fitness/Ask_the_Doctor/More_on_HIV/Could_Stem_Cell_Discovery_Be_Cure_for_HIV_/

Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, made an astounding announcement Monday — stem cells could be engineered to target and kill HIV. In an interview with Advocate.com, Scott Kitchen, assistant professor of medicine at UCLA's David Geffen School of Medicine, talks about the technology that made this discovery possible and how close these findings lead us to a vaccine.

How do the stem cells work against HIV?
As you know, HIV is a lifelong infection. The immune system of a human is capable of responding to the virus and having an effect on its ability to replicate within the body, but ultimately it fails to clear the virus from the body, versus influenza or cold viruses. So what we were looking to do was find ways to restore the immune response in HIV-affected people in a way that specifically targets HIV itself. So we took cells from the blood of HIV-infected people — people who have an ongoing infection but [not enough T] cells to completely eliminate the virus from the body. We took the cells that were there, identified a specific cell and a specific molecule on that cell that targets the cell toward HIV. So we molecularly cloned that molecule and took stem cells from another tissue source, another donor. This tissue is basically blood stem cells, and we engineered those blood stem cells ... to target HIV infection.

In order to test this in a living system, the genetically modified stem cells were placed into tissue that had been implanted into a mouse. This allows us to study the effects of the development of the stem cell into a mature T cell that is targeted to HIV in a living, breathing organism. In this model, we established this procedure allows the development of HIV-specific cells. So, the next step is to expand this into a system that allows us to examine the effects of these cells on HIV replication in vivo — basically another animal-based system that allows us to look at the effects of these types of cells, these targeted HIV-specific cells, in eliminating the virus or lowering viral infection.

For the full article:
http://www.advocate.com/Health_and_Fitness/Ask_the_Doctor/More_on_HIV/Could_Stem_Cell_Discovery_Be_Cure_for_HIV_/

Debate Still Raging over Cell Phone, Tumor Link

2010-01-03T10:58:00.000-08:00

CANCER

Debate still raging over cell phone, tumor link
Results of major study not likely to quell fears

By Scott LaFee

San Diego Union-Tribune

Source:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/03/debate-still-raging-over-cell-phone-tumor-link

The final results of an international study intended to produce definitive evidence on whether cell phones cause cancer could be released any day now.

But those findings likely will just deepen an already acrimonious debate that has lasted about 20 years.

Nine years ago, the World Health Organization launched Interphone to determine whether brain tumors can be linked to electromagnetic radiation from cell phones. The researchers analyzed cell phone use by 14,000 people in 13 countries. Half of the participants had brain tumors; half did not.

For the full article:
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jan/03/debate-still-raging-over-cell-phone-tumor-link

© Copyright 2010 The San Diego Union-Tribune, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Amid H1N1 Flu Fears Garlic Prices Surge in China

2009-12-31T20:17:00.000-08:00

FOOD AS MEDICINE

Amid H1N1 Flu Fears Garlic Prices Surge in China
Rumors that garlic helps defend against the H1N1 virus have sent prices of garlic rocketing in recent months

Garden of Healing®

BEIJING

Garlic prices have jumped so high in China recently that the crop has outperformed gold and stocks to be the country's best performing asset this year.

As H1N1 swine flu continues to worry China's leaders, its people seek a more traditional remedy. Just as some Chinese turned to turnips to prevent the SARS virus in 2003, garlic has emerged as a swine flu fighter in 2009.

"Garlic kills bacteria, and I eat at least half a bulb each day," says Liu Zhan, 43, whose prices have leapt from just five cents a pound in February to almost 55 cents today.

Although Chinese government experts have cautioned consumers about the lack of scientific proof for garlic's flu-killing powers, its supporters remain adamant. "Garlic can definitely help prevent swine flu," claims Li Jingfeng, chairman of the Jinxiang Garlic Association in eastern China's Shandong province.

Self-promoted as China's "hometown of garlic," Jinxiang county grows a quarter of all garlic in China, which in turn provides more than a quarter of global output, says Wang Hao, marketing manager for the China Garlic website. Jinxiang, whose name means Gold Village, has enjoyed its best sales year, says Li.

"Next year, the price will be even higher, but our American and European buyers still think it's cheap, as garlic sells for $6.60 for a pound in their countries," he says.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

What Does Anger Smell Like?

2009-12-28T13:39:00.000-08:00

ANIMALS

What Does Anger Smell Like?
A whiff of a rage-inducing pheromone can turn peaceful fruit flies into violent brawlers.

By Eric Bland

Discovery News
http://news.discovery.com/animals/anger-smell-fruit-flies.html

The scent of a single chemical can turn peaceful, happy fruit flies into flying fists of fury.

For the first time, scientists have found a rage-inducing pheromone and the neuron that detects it in fruit flies. The research, detailed in the journal Nature, could help explain everything from bar fights to species-wide population control.

"Not only did we identify the pheromone that leads to aggression and its neuron," said David Anderson, a scientist at Cal Tech and co-author of the Nature study, "but we were able to manipulate the ability of the flies to increase aggression."

For the most part, fruit flies are a peaceful species. Give a group of flies a piece of food, and they graze peacefully. Give them some land, and they usually share the territory without incident.

For the full story:
http://news.discovery.com/animals/anger-smell-fruit-flies.html

Copyright © 2009 Discovery Communications, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a Breath of Fresh Cabin Air

2009-12-23T12:44:00.000-08:00

TOXICITY

Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a breath of fresh cabin air
The successful launch of the Boeing Dreamliner this week has highlighted concerns about the amount of toxic air in conventional aircraft cabins.

By Charles Starmer-Smith

Source: Telegraph.co.uk

The new lightweight plane, which is designed to cut fuel costs by 20 per cent, has been hailed as the answer to the problem of contaminated air that scientists claim affects up to 200,000 British passengers each year – known in the industry as aerotoxic syndrome.

Since 1963, all commercial aircraft have used the "bleed air" system, whereby compressed air is drawn through the engines and into the cabin. The air passes through filters that remove bacteria or viruses but do not remove fumes or vapours from the engine – so if there is an oil or hydraulic fuel leak, toxic chemicals can contaminate the air supply.

On its new Dreamliner, Boeing is to pump fresh cabin air from a separate source (away from the engines) for the first time since the Fifties. This had previously been deemed too expensive.

"This marks a serious milestone in aviation history, with the long-awaited first flight of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner," said Tristan Lorraine, a former commercial pilot and spokesman for the Global Cabin Air Quality Executive (GCAQE), which represents thousands of airline staff. "The GCAQE urges other manufacturers to design aircraft with this new 'bleed-free' design and stop using out-of-date technologies, which fail to protect passengers and crews from being exposed to toxic chemicals."

Earlier this year, undercover investigators claimed to have found high levels of a dangerous toxin on several planes using the bleed-air system. Of 31 swab samples taken secretly from the aircraft cabins of popular airlines, 28 were found to contain high levels of tricresyl phosphate (TCP), an organophosphate contained in modern jet oil as an anti-wear additive, which can lead to drowsiness, respiratory problems and neurological illnesses.

Dr Mackenzie Ross, a clinical neuropsychologist at University College London, has claimed that contaminated cabin air may affect up to 200,000 passengers each year. A Telegraph Travel investigation last year disclosed that hundreds of incidents of contaminated air had been reported by British pilots.

Reports linking exposure to contaminated air with long-term harm to health have led to an increase in the number of passengers and crew seeking redress. Earlier this year a former American Airlines attendant, Terry Williams, 40, launched a lawsuit against Boeing over illnesses she claims were caused by toxic fumes.

A spokesman for the Civil Aviation Authority said that investigations were continuing, but that there was no evidence of a link between cabin air and ill health.

© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2009. All Rights Reserved.

Related Links: http://www.aerotoxic.org/

Wisconsin Man Argues Right to Sell Raw Milk

2009-12-22T12:11:00.000-08:00

FOOD

Wisconsin man argues right to sell raw milk

By Chris Hubbuch

La Crosse Tribune

VIROQUA, WI

Max Kane Farley thinks unpasteurized milk saved his life.

The Chicago native, who goes by Max Kane, was diagnosed with the digestive disorder Crohn's disease at age 10.

He suffered abdominal and joint pain. He had thin bones and only 110 pounds on his 5 foot 10 frame.

"I looked like someone who came out of a German concentration camp," Kane said.

After 13 years, he heard about the primal diet — raw meat, raw eggs, raw milk. He gained 80 pounds, and his symptoms went away, he said. He hasn't needed medication in five years.

He credits raw milk and has devoted himself full-time to promoting its benefits and helping others get it. He rode his bike 3,600 miles, mostly on a raw dairy diet.

The 32-year-old, who lives in Viroqua, founded a Chicago-based club through which members could buy unpasteurized dairy products.

That's put him at the center of a legal battle over the state's authority to regulate food sales.

The thirst for raw milk has been growing, attracting the notice of lawmakers and health officials. As a bill to legalize the sale of unpasteurized milk makes its way through the Wisconsin Legislature, the state is cracking down on black market sales.

Kane's case started in March, after the mother of an ill 16-year-old told health officials he'd drank raw milk she got from Kane's club, Belle's Lunchbox. Although tests did not link the illness to milk, Illinois officials notified Wisconsin officials.

Kane received a letter requesting details about his club, his providers, handling practices and licenses, as well as tax returns.

He sent a "cease and desist" letter stating the department had no jurisdiction over his club and accusing officials of violating the Constitution and state law. He threatened to sue.

The state subpoenaed him.

Kane will get his chance today in Vernon County Court to explain his position.

Raw dairy proponents say unpasteurized milk is tastier, healthier and easier to digest. It has been touted as curing everything from asthma to lactose intolerance and childhood behavior problems.

Federal and state officials say uncooked animal products are dangerous and can carry bacteria capable of causing illness and death.

"All it takes is a fleck of manure on a cow's teat and you've got contamination," Department of Agriculture spokeswoman Donna Gilson said.

Raw milk advocates say the benefits far outstrip the risks.

Twenty-eight states allow on-farm sales of raw milk. In nine, consumers can buy raw milk in stores.

The Department of Agriculture estimates a couple dozen Wisconsin farmers sell raw milk.

Copyright ©2009 The Appleton Post-Crescent. All Rights Reserved.

Study; Coffee and Tea may Reduce Diabetes Risk

2009-12-20T13:24:00.000-08:00

DIABETES

Study; Coffee and Tea may Reduce Diabetes Risk
It's possible that there's something in coffee and tea that lowers diabetes risk, but that something is likely not caffeine

Garden of Healing®

People who drink tea or coffee, even if it's decaf, seem to have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a review of studies reported this week.

The study, appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, was a meta-analysis, meaning it reviewed all the literature on coffee, tea, and diabetes risk. The researchers, led by Rachel Huxley, of the George Institute for International Health at the University of Sydney, narrowed their review down to 18 studies published between 1966 and 2009, involving almost 460,000 participants.

Six studies included information about regular and decaffeinated coffee and diabetes risk, and seven studies reported on tea consumption.

When the authors combined the data, they found that each additional cup of coffee consumed in a day was associated with a seven per cent reduction in diabetes risk.

People who drank three to four cups of coffee a day had about a 25 per cent lower risk of diabetes than those who drank two or fewer cups a day.

The researchers say the apparent protective effect of tea and coffee appeared to be independent of other factors that may raise the risk of diabetes, such as a high body mass index, increased age and family history of diabetes.

But it's also possible that there's something in coffee and tea that lowers diabetes risk. But that something is likely not caffeine, since even decaf coffee was linked to a lower diabetes risk.

Instead, other compounds in coffee and tea may be involved, including magnesium, antioxidants known as lignans or chlorogenic acids.

"The identification of the active components of these beverages would open up new therapeutic pathways for the primary prevention of diabetes mellitus," the authors write.

"It could also be envisaged that we will advise our patients most at risk for diabetes mellitus to increase their consumption of tea and coffee in addition to increasing their levels of physical activity and weight loss."

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Formula for Health is not in the Vitamin Aisle

2009-12-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

NUTRITION

Formula for health is not in the vitamin aisle
Supplements do not work as well as food, yet 40 per cent of Canadians take them every day, study says

By Leslie Beck

Source: Globe and Mail

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/

It's estimated that 40 per cent of Canadians take vitamin and mineral supplements each day. Yet according to a report in the December issue of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the formula for optimal health isn't in the supplement aisle of a health-food store.

Instead, the best strategy for staying healthy and lowering your risk for heart disease, diabetes and certain cancers is to eat a wide variety of nutrient-rich foods - a practice that for many people is not a habit.

Still, the report recognizes that some people do require vitamin and mineral supplements. Knowing which ones to take - and how much - can be confusing.

The fact is, the maintenance of good health is related more to the types and amounts of foods you eat than to the amount of certain vitamins or minerals you consume. When obtained from foods, certain nutrients have been demonstrated to guard against a number of health conditions. But studies investigating the effect of supplements on health outcomes have turned up disappointing results.

Foods are complex, providing more than just a single vitamin or mineral. Plant foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains also contain fibre, along with hundreds of disease-fighting compounds called phytochemicals. It's thought that vitamins and minerals work in concert with other components of food to exert health benefits.

You've heard it over and over: Choose mainly whole grains, get seven to 10 daily servings of fruit and vegetables, eat beans and lentils more often, and so on. Yet a very small percentage of Canadians lives by Canada's Food Guide.

According to national survey data, Canadians of all ages don't get enough magnesium, folate or potassium from their diet. Most adults don't get enough calcium from foods. And women under 50 consume too little iron.

While it's ideal to try to meet your daily nutrient requirements from food, for some people this is hard to do. Pregnant women, nursing mothers, strict vegetarians, people with food intolerances and allergies, and elderly adults often need to fill dietary gaps with a multivitamin and mineral pill.

People with certain health conditions, or who take medications that alter their need for some vitamins or minerals, may also need to rely on supplements. And older adults, people with dark skin and those with inadequate sun exposure require extra vitamin D.

If you fall into one of the following categories, consider taking certain supplements in addition to eating plenty of nutrient-rich foods.

Women of childbearing age Women who may become pregnant should take a multivitamin supplement that provides 0.4 to 1 milligram of folic acid, a B vitamin that reduces the risk of neural tube defects - birth defects that affect the brain and spinal cord.

Menstruating women also need 18 milligrams of iron per day, an amount that's challenging - if not impossible - to get from foods alone. Look for a multivitamin with 10 to 18 milligrams of iron. (Vegetarians need an extra 14 milligrams to account for reduced iron absorption from plant foods.)

Pregnant women

During pregnancy, women need 0.6 milligrams of folic acid from a daily supplement in addition to food sources of folate. Natural sources include spinach, lentils, asparagus, broccoli, avocados and oranges.

Pregnant women also need 27 milligrams of supplemental iron each day (vegetarian women 48 milligrams). Choose a prenatal multivitamin supplement with 0.6 to 1 milligram of folic acid and 27 milligrams of iron.

Older adults

The U.S.-based Institute of Medicine advises that people over 50 get 2.4 micrograms of vitamin B12 each day in the form found in fortified foods and supplements. That's because aging reduces ability to digest B12 from food.

Vitamin B12 helps maintain nerve function, keeps red blood cells healthy and is needed to make DNA. Evidence also suggests it may guard against heart disease and maintain cognitive function.

To get your B12, choose a multivitamin and mineral supplement. If you prefer, take a B-complex supplement that contains all eight B vitamins.

Choose a product that provides no more than 0.4 milligram of folic acid, the recommended daily intake. Recently, there's concern that higher doses may accelerate the growth of pre-cancerous cells or early cancer growths.

In healthy cells, folic acid ensures that DNA replicates normally. But cancer and pre-cancer cells synthesize new copies of DNA faster than normal cells and need folic acid to multiply.

There's no evidence that the B vitamin in foods is harmful. In fact, the evidence shows that a diet rich in natural sources of folate is good for you.

At 50, calcium requirements increase to 1,500 milligrams daily. In most cases, people need to rely on calcium supplements in addition to diet to meet daily needs.

More vitamin D

Evidence suggests that optimal vitamin-D status helps prevent certain cancers, heart attacks, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, osteoporosis and rheumatoid arthritis.

The fact that Canadians don't produce enough vitamin D in their skin from sunlight between October and March prompted the Canadian Cancer Society in June, 2007, to recommend that adults take 1,000 international units (IU ) of the vitamin daily in fall and winter.

Older adults, people with dark skin, those who don't go outdoors often, and those who wear clothing that covers most of their skin should take the supplement year-round.

Before you buy, figure out how much vitamin D you're already getting from multivitamin and calcium supplements. Choose a supplement than contains D3 instead of D2, which is less potent.

Haphazard eaters, dieters

If you don't eat well despite your best intentions, or you consume less than 1,600 calories per day, a multivitamin and mineral supplement can help make up for shortfalls. But keep in mind that supplements can't replicate the nutritional and health benefits of whole foods.

Speak to your dietitian or doctor about which supplements and what doses might be appropriate for you. If you take medications, ask about possible interactions.

Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based dietitian at the Medcan Clinic, is on CTV's Canada AM every Wednesday.

Her website is http://www.lesliebeck.com/

© CTVglobemedia Publishing Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Monsanto Named Worst Corporate Climate Lobbyist

2009-12-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

CLIMATE

Monsanto named worst corporate climate lobbyist
US company wants its GM crops to be given carbon credits and to be at the forefront of tackling climate change despite link to deforestation.

The Ecologist

http://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/381809/monsanto_named_worst_corporate_climate_lobbyist.html

COPENHAGEN

Biotech giant Monsanto has been criticised for its aggressive corporate lobbying on climate change at the Copenhagen summit.

In a public vote organised by an alliance of NGOs, including Friends of the Earth and Spinwatch, the US agricultural company came out ahead of oil giant Shell and the American Petroleum Institute.

Monsanto was nominated for its promotion of genetically modified (GM) crops as a solution to climate change and for pushing its crops to be used as biofuels.

According to the alliance, the expansion of GM soy in Latin America is contributing to major deforestation and greenhouse gas emissions.

Carbon credits

The company has also been lobbying for carbon credits for its RoundUp Ready crops on the basis that it does not need ploughing because it can be heavily sprayed with herbicides.

While not ploughing the fields leaves more carbon in the ground, the alliance says the spread of soy monocultures in Latin America has caused deforestation, the displacement of local people and an increase in the use of herbicides, which have been linked to health problems.

‘Big business must not be allowed to sabotage action against climate change by promoting their vested interests,’ said vote organiser Paul de Clerk from Friends of the Earth International.

‘All the nominated companies have lobbied to protect their own profits and prevent effective action to tackle climate change. Governments need to stop listening to them and choose real solutions to the climate crisis.’

The other nominees for the Angry Mermaid Award for corporate lobbying were:

•American Coalition for Clean Coal Electricity
•American Petroleum Institute (API)
•European Chemical Lobby (Cefic)
•International Air Transport Association (IATA)
•International Emissions Trading Association (IETA)
•Sasol
•Shell

Copyright 2009 Ecosystems Ltd. All Rights Reserved.

Having a Baby Face may Mean You Live Longer

2009-12-15T07:51:00.000-08:00

AGEING

'Baby-Faced' People Seem to Live Longer
People blessed with youthful faces are more likely to live to a ripe old age.

Garden of Healing®

LONDON

A new study by Danish scientists says appearance alone can predict survival, after they studied 387 pairs of twins.

Research published Monday in the British medical journal BMJ suggests that people who look younger than their years also live longer.

The researchers asked nurses, trainee teachers and peers to guess the age of the twins from mug shots.

Those rated younger-looking tended to outlive their older-looking sibling, the British Medical Journal reports.

Key pieces of DNA called telomeres, which indicate the ability of cells to replicate, are also linked to how young a person looks.

A telomere of shorter length is thought to signify faster ageing and has been linked with a number of diseases.

In the study, the people who looked younger had longer telomeres.

All of the twins were in their 70s, 80s or 90s when they were photographed.

Over a seven-year follow-up the researchers, led by Professor Kaare Christensen of the University of Southern Denmark, found that the bigger the difference in perceived age within a pair, the more likely it was that the older-looking twin died first.

The age, sex and professional background of the assessors made no difference to any of the results.

“It's probably a combination of genes plus environment over a lifetime that are important” UK expert Professor Tim Spector.

Professor Christensen said it might be that people who have had a tougher life are more likely to die early - and their life is reflected in their face.

The researchers told the BMJ: "Perceived age, which is widely used by clinicians as a general indication of a patient's health, is a robust biomarker of ageing that predicts survival among those aged over 70."

Professor Tim Spector, a UK expert who has been doing his own twin research, said: "We are also finding this in our study.

"It's probably a combination of genes plus environment over a lifetime that are important."

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Spending Bill Heads to Obama

2009-12-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

ECONOMY

Spending bill heads to Obama
Senate approves $1.1 trillion package

Garden of Healing®

WASHINGTON

On Sunday the Senate passed a $1.1 trillion spending bill with increased budgets for the federal government, including health, education, law enforcement and veterans' programs.

The 1,000-plus-page package, one of the last jobs of Congress in 2009, passed 57-35 and now goes to President Barack Obama.

After the vote, the Senate immediately returned to the debate on health care legislation that has consumed its energy for weeks. Senate Democrats hope to reach a consensus in the coming days on Obama's chief domestic priority.

But even as they sent the measure to Obama for his signature, Democrats were deeply divided over efforts to substantially raise the federal debt limit.

The idea of increased spending and more red ink provoked new congressional alarm, and some Democratic deficit hawks were insisting that Congress and the White House agree to new efforts to rein in the deficit.

Failure to increase the $12.1 trillion debt limit to cover federal borrowing could lead to a technical government default.

Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., and others said they wanted a vote on a new proposal to create a bipartisan independent commission to recommend spending cuts and revenue increases to pare the deficit. Others want an agreement by Congress to follow "pay as you go" rules when considering legislation.

If they are unable to strike a deal with the White House and the congressional leadership, the lawmakers said they would support only a short-term increase in the debt limit — perhaps into February — to allow for more negotiations.

The spending bill combines six of the 12 annual appropriation bills for the 2010 budget year that began Oct. 1. Obama has already signed five others into law.

The final one, a $626 billion defense bill, will be used as the base bill for another catchall package of measures that Congress must deal with in the coming days.

Those include raising the debt ceiling and considering proposals to stimulate the job market.

The spending bill passed Sunday includes $447 billion for departments' operating budgets and about $650 billion in mandatory payments for federal benefit programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Those programs would see increases of about 10 percent.

All but three Democrats voted for the bill; all but three Republicans opposed it.

Democrats said the spending was critical to meet the needs of a recession-battered economy.

Appearing Sunday on "State of the Union" on CNN, Lawrence Summers, the president's chief economic adviser, said Obama was receptive to new ideas for reducing the deficit.

"What's fundamentally important is that we find a solution that works," he said.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Personal Care Positioned for Rebound

2009-12-12T08:27:00.000-08:00

PERSONAL CARE PRODUCTS

Personal Care Positioned for Rebound
The naturals segment remains a relatively high-growth proposition

Natural Foods Merchandiser
http://naturalfoodsmerchandiser.com/

Sales of natural personal care products have grown about 8 percent in the United States in 2009, a slowing growth rate from 15.3 percent a year earlier, but still healthier than the personal care industry as a whole, according to new research.

And personal care will rebound in 2010, driven by natural products, global demand and value lines, New York-based Kline Group predicts.

“The naturals segment remains a relatively high-growth proposition from both a product and packaging standpoint in personal care and home care,” Carrie Mellage, Kline Group’s director of consumer products, wrote in a newsletter.

Value brands and private-label products have also surged in growth, with double-digit gains in sun care products, shampoos and personal cleansing products, as shoppers look for cost savings.

“Personal care was hit pretty hard in the last year, less so in the natural sector,” said Lynea Schultz-Ela of A Natural Resource in Hotchkiss, Colo.

Better growth will be driven by new products, where small companies have the edge because they’re able to bring items to market faster, she said.

“Innovation is the name of the game in personal care,” Schultz-Ela said.

Mellage told NFM that greater availability of natural products has pushed down prices, hampering dollar growth. But the “relatively untapped” area of private label natural personal care has the potential to grow, as cash-strapped naturals consumers are lured back into the category by house brands with natural ingredients.

“I think we will also see a greater shift toward mass natural brands, so prices will be pushed downwards,” Mellage told NFM.

High-growth overseas markets have put their own unique spin on natural personal care, with Brazilian natural products emphasizing biodiversity and the rainforest, while Indian consumers favor products based on Avurveda and Chinese products reflect China’s heritage of herbal medicine, Mellage noted.

Copyright 2009 New Hope Natural Media. All Rights Reserved.

Ugandan Bill seeks Executions for Gays

2009-12-09T14:58:00.000-08:00

HUMAN RIGHTS

Uganda's Anti-Gay Death Law
Bill calls for those convicted of "aggravated homosexuality" to receive the death penalty.

Mark Isaac Thyss
Garden of Healing®

The Ugandan government says their new anti-homosexuality bill seeks to strengthen "the nation's capacity to deal with emerging internal and external threats to the traditional heterosexual family." But the bill amounts to state sponsorship of the execution of gay and lesbian people.

A legislator in Uganda wants to impose the death penalty on gays living with HIV or in cases of same-sex rape.

Landlords who rent rooms or homes to gays also could get seven years in prison if they fail to report them to authorities. Anyone with "religious, political, economic or social authority" who fails to report anyone violating the law faces three years in prison if convicted.

Christian leaders who are themselves divided over homosexuality jumped in joining forces to oppose the proposed Ugandan law.

"Our Christian faith recognizes violence, harassment and unjust treatment of any human being as a betrayal of Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves," reads the statement released Monday and signed by dozens of leaders.

David Bahati, the legislator sponsoring the bill, said the measures are necessary to stop gays from recruiting children.

The bill calls for those convicted of involvement in homosexual acts to be sentenced to life in prison and those convicted of "aggravated homosexuality" to receive the death penalty.

Uganda's ethics minister, James Nsaba Buturo, said the death sentence is needed to counter foreign influence. Homosexuality "is not natural in Uganda," he said.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Cold Defense

2009-12-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

IMMUNE SYSTEM

Cold Defense
Cold and flu remedies and products that support the immune system are up 70% over last year.

By Christina Veiders

Supermarket News

This year's cold/flu season, plagued by especially bad bug viruses, has driven consumers to seek defense by downing immune-system elixirs.

The sales numbers tell the story for demand of flu-related products in general.

Nielsen reported last week that consumers stocked up on preventive, treatment and sanitizing products at an increased rate. Thermometers, vitamins, cough and cold remedies, orange juice, cleaning products, tea and soup all reported year-over-year increases.

Researchers and industry observers say immune-system support products have particularly benefited during the severe flu season, with sales on some product up as much as 20% to 25%. Retailers merchandised an array of products that ranged from simple vitamin C to probiotics to special formulas of combo immune nutrients.

Wendy McLain, health and beauty aids merchandiser for Seattle-based PCC Natural Markets, reports that sales of cold and flu remedies and products that support the immune system are up 70% over last year.

PCC Markets' best sellers are: Alacer Emergen-C, Boiron Oscillo, PCC-brand vitamin D, Source Naturals Wellness Formula and, in general, hand sanitizers.

The retailer used its bi-monthly ad circular to promote these products.

Whole Foods Market, Austin, Texas, turned its stores into immune-support destinations by offering a wide range of immune-support products.

Featured items are: Source Naturals Wellness Formula, which is said to "rebalance well-being"; Gaia Herbs Rapid Relief Black Elderberry Syrup, packed with vitamin C that "supports a healthy immune response"; and Whole Foods' private-label 365 Everyday Value Flu Ease, a homeopathic formula that "provides relief from body aches, chills, fever and other symptoms."

The natural-food retailer also produced a number of podcasts and blogs devoted to cough-cold-flu topics. In-store lectures and brochures discussed differences between colds and flu; how ingredients like garlic turmeric, cayenne pepper and kale can help strengthen the immune system; which herbs and supplements provide immune support; recipes for immune system-boosting soups and smoothies; and seasonal wellness tips to help ward off colds and flu.

A local media source reported last month that a Whole Foods in Winston-Salem, N.C., set up two immune-boosting kiosks that displayed natural alternative medicines like echinacea, elderberry and probiotics. The store enjoyed a 10% boost in vitamin sales. Michelle Tisdale, Whole Body specialist, was quoted in the report as saying, "We also have a lot of new people who have never been in a health food store and want to try something natural. Some of the people are those who want added protection along with the vaccine and others are those who don't plan on getting vaccinated."

With a scarcity of vaccines and a constant media barrage over the H1N1 "swine flu" virus and the seriousness of the flu season, consumers naturally sought out alternative remedies. "Our research shows 44% of those who take vitamins and minerals do so to help ward off illness. Additionally, some 29% of vitamin-takers say that they frequently change the supplements that they take based on new information in the news," noted Molly Heyl-Rushmer, senior analyst for research firm Mintel International.

However, the demand for immunity supplements also has come with controversy over marketers' health claims.

Early this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration published guidance for dietary supplement manufacturers on what it considers to be sufficient scientific substantiation for the health claims made on their products. The guidance, which takes the form of recommendations rather than rulemaking, refers to all nutritional deficiency, structure/function or general well-being claims.

Yet, the FDA and Federal Trade Commission were forced to issue warning letters.

As a result, some manufacturers and retailers had to change their labeling and health claims. Some faced hefty fines. CVS, Woonsocket, R.I., for example, paid nearly $2.8 million to settle FTC charges over misleading claims that its AirShield dietary supplements can prevent colds, fight germs and boost immune systems. The case was similar to those the FTC announced in 2008 - against Airborne Health, Improvita Health Products and Rite Aid Corp. - which involved dietary supplements that purportedly treat colds and the flu.

The FTC charged CVS with making false and deceptive advertising claims that using its product would reduce the risk of colds and protect against catching colds in crowded places, such as schools, airplanes, offices, health clubs, theaters or restaurants. The FTC alleged that the company had no evidence that the products could boost the immune system or prevent colds. A settlement with Rite Aid regarding similar claims for its Germ Defense products was announced in July, resulting in a Rite Aid consumer refund program.

Such cases put retailers on notice that they assume "gatekeeper responsibility" that the products they put on their shelves meet FDA and FTC standards, said Loren Israelsen, executive director, United Natural Products Alliance, Salt Lake City. "It's sometimes counter-intuitive for retailers who are interested in getting products on shelves but in this new regulatory environment, that is the message from the regulator to the regulated.

The companies that sell the products have the same obligation."

Other cases cited by federal authorities included Internet retailer DrWeil.com for its Immune Support Formula claims that the product was a prevention, treatment or cure for the H1N1 flu virus. The product contained astragalus, a traditional herb said to boost immunity, and immune-supportive polypore mushrooms.

Prior to the flu season, an industry coalition comprised of the American Herbal Products Association, Consumer Healthcare Products Association, Council for Responsible Nutrition, Natural Products Association and United Natural Products Alliance issued a statement advising against the use of dietary supplements as a swine flu remedy and cure.

"Nothing changes from year to year. This year we had an unusual, aggressive public concern about H1N1; we saw this new government take substantially more active steps than we saw in past years. Yes, that will continue," said Israelsen.

© 2009 Penton Media. All rights reserved.

Woman Sues Food Company Over E. Coli

2009-12-06T13:40:00.000-08:00

FOOD WARNINGS

Woman Sues Food Company Over E. Coli

By Associated Press

MINNEAPOLIS, MN

A Minnesota woman who became severely ill from E. coli after eating a tainted hamburger sued a division of the agribusiness giant Cargill Inc. on Friday.

The woman, Stephanie Smith, 22, of Cold Spring, became ill in September 2007 after eating hamburger produced by the Cargill division. Her infection led to hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication that causes kidney failure. She suffered seizures and was in a medically induced coma for three months.

She was featured this year in an article in The New York Times that traced the beef trimmings that went into her burger patty to four plants in two countries. The article generated worldwide attention and spurred Congress to consider tougher food safety laws.

The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Minneapolis, names Cargill Meat Solutions Corp., which is based in Wichita, Kan.

Her lawyer, Bill Marler, said settlement talks between Cargill, Cargill’s insurance carrier, AIG, and Ms. Smith’s lawyers recently collapsed.

Mr. Marler said Ms. Smith’s medical bills already total more than $2 million and were likely to add up to tens of millions of dollars. Cargill, based in Minnetonka, has paid for some of her bills.

Related Links: http://www.marlerblog.com

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Cadbury Bid Moves Forward

2009-12-06T07:48:00.000-08:00

BUSINESS DIGEST

Cadbury Bid Moves Forward
Kraft Foods takes its $16.3 billion hostile takeover offer straight to Cadbury shareholders.

By Mark Isaac Thyss
Garden of Healing®

LONDON, ENGLAND

On Friday, Kraft Foods Inc. took its $16.3 billion hostile takeover offer for Cadbury PLC straight to shareholders of the British candy company.

The deal is nearly unchanged from an earlier offer Cadbury rejected.

Kraft has now started the clock ticking on a series of regulatory deadlines to get the majority support it needs and may flush out rival bids.

Kraft announced a proposed takeover in September and formally issued the bid in November. Cadbury immediately rejected the offer, saying it undervalued the company.

Cadbury declined to comment on the offer but has been clear about its disinterest at this price. Under British regulations, Cadbury has two weeks to give a formal response to the offer before shareholders.

Retaining the original offer gives Kraft some wiggle room to increase its bid should a rival suitor emerge.

Kraft wants to get the majority shareholder votes by January 5, but can take until February to complete the process under regulations.

U.S. chocolate company The Hershey Company and Italy's Ferrero International SA have said they are considering an offer.

Cadbury PLC is the world's second-largest candy maker. It is an attractive acquisition for any of the companies.

Kraft, the world's second-largest food maker, said the acquisition could lift its revenue and earnings.

Cadbury is one of the world's largest confectionary companies and has strong international reach, with a key presence in emerging markets.

© 1996-2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. All Rights Reserved.

Do Healing Gardens Really Heal?

2009-12-05T14:36:00.000-08:00

HEALING GARDENS

Do Healing Gardens Really Heal?
And other insights about the power of hospital design

SOURCE: http://www.ssoe.com/news

“Evidence-based design” of hospitals has been credited with laudable improvements in patient care: faster recovery, reduced medication errors, improved staff safety and lower stress levels for everyone. The proponents of this design approach aren’t radicals. They are architects whose design reflects scientific research that proves certain environmental characteristics can create impressive results.

In the last decade, leading researchers proposed the idea that hospital design decisions should be based on documented results. From that point forward, rather than make assumptions about how to design a better functioning hospital, the profession took the position, “We need to prove it.”

Most of us have first-hand knowledge of the annoying aspects of hospitals—the disruptive noises, harsh lighting, stark décor, uncomfortable furniture, lack of privacy and more. And the staff can cite many design features that make it difficult to deliver the best medical treatment. Thanks to the ongoing compilation and quantification of hundreds of studies on the affects of certain environmental factors, architects know much more about how to improve outcomes.

Let’s take a tour of a model evidenced-based designed hospital to understand the environmental changes it incorporates.

For the full article: http://www.ssoe.com/news/article10.aspx

© 1948-2009 SSOE Group. All Rights Reserved.

Nebraska Company Poised to Lose Organic Certification

2009-12-02T17:41:00.000-08:00

ORGANIC CERTIFICATION

Nebraska Company Poised to Lose Organic Certification
Company kept inadequate records and refused to let USDA inspectors review the records it did have.

By Josh Funk

The Wisconsin State Journal

Promiseland Livestock will lose its organic certification for four years unless it appeals a ruling issued last month because the company kept inadequate records and refused to let USDA inspectors review the records it did have.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture filed a formal complaint against Promiseland in 2008 and accused it of a number of violations of organic standards, including using non-organic feed and reselling conventional grain as organic.

A judge ruled Nov. 25 that the livestock company had violated USDA rules by refusing to provide records to inspectors when they visited Promiseland's facilities in Nebraska and Missouri. But the judge did not rule directly on whether Promiseland's practices violated organic standards.

The Promiseland problems were uncovered as part of an investigation of milk producer Aurora Organic Dairy of Boulder, Colo., because Aurora had bought more than 12,000 cattle from Promiseland.

No one answered the phone at Promiseland's Bassett, Neb., headquarters Wednesday.

A USDA spokesman declined to comment on the Promiseland case Wednesday.

The Cornucopia Institute, a Wisconsin-based watchdog group, has filed several complaints against large-scale dairies that have promoted their milk as organic, including Aurora.

Mark Kastel, Cornucopia's co-director, said he's glad that Promiseland will likely lose its organic certification, and that the USDA under President Barack Obama appears to be more aggressive in its response to complaints about companies not following the organic rules.

"The good news for consumers is the system worked," he said. "The bad news is that it took several years for it to happen."

Kastel said Promiseland made it harder for small organic dairy farmers to compete because it wasn't following organic standards in its operation, so Promiseland had lower costs.

Consumers typically pay more for organic food because they believe it is free of hormones or pesticides and produced with greater respect for the environment.

Large corporate farms say they can farm organically on a large scale, while sustainable family farms and the Cornucopia group complain that such operations are not really organic. The critics say the large farms contribute to surpluses that drive down prices.

The USDA said in its complaint that government investigators repeatedly requested records from Promiseland during the first half of 2007. But Promiseland officials did not provide the records and refused to let federal investigators review records during an unannounced review, according to the federal complaint.

The USDA said Promiseland has ranches or feedlots near Bassett, Neb.; and Falcon, Lebanon, Elkland and Grant City, Mo.

The company also has about 12,000 dairy heifers and 10,000 slaughter cattle, the USDA said in its complaint.

© Copyright 2009 The Wisconsin State Journal. All Rights Reserved.

Oil Reserves Far Lower than Reported

2009-12-01T14:25:00.000-08:00

ENVIRONMENT

Key Oil Figures were Distorted by U.S. Pressure
Exclusive: Watchdog's estimates of reserves inflated says top official

Source: The Guardian.co.uk

The world is much closer to running out of oil than official estimates admit, according to a whistleblower at the International Energy Agency who claims it has been deliberately underplaying a looming shortage for fear of triggering panic buying.

The senior official claims the US has played an influential role in encouraging the watchdog to underplay the rate of decline from existing oil fields while overplaying the chances of finding new reserves.

The allegations raise serious questions about the accuracy of the organisation's latest World Energy Outlook on oil demand and supply to be published tomorrow – which is used by the British and many other governments to help guide their wider energy and climate change policies.

For the full article:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/nov/09/peak-oil-international-energy-agency

2009 © Guardian News and Media Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Report Says Irish Bishops and Police Hid Abuse

2009-11-27T12:33:00.000-08:00

ABUSE SIGHTINGS

In Dublin, 700 Pages on the Church's Sins
Priests were blatant, notorious abusers, but were allowed to continue without punishment or censure.

By Sarah Lyall

The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/world/europe/27ireland.html?

LONDON

The Roman Catholic Church and the police in Ireland systematically colluded in covering up decades of child sex abuse by priests in Dublin, according to a scathing report released Thursday.

The cover-ups spanned the tenures of four Dublin archbishops and continued through to the mid-1990s and beyond, even after the church was beginning to admit to its failings and had professed that it was confronting abuse by its priests.

But rather than helping the victims, the church was concerned only with “the maintenance of secrecy, the avoidance of scandal, the protection of the reputation of the church, and the preservation of its assets,” said the 700-page report, prepared by a group appointed by the Irish government and called the Commission of Investigation Into the Catholic Archdiocese of Dublin.

For the Full Article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/27/world/europe/27ireland.html?

Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company. All Rights Reserved.

Pinnacle Foods Group (Blackstone) to acquire Birds Eye Foods

2009-11-23T13:40:00.000-08:00

BUSINESS NEWS

Birds Eye Foods in Private Equity Deal
Company had filed for an initial public stock offering to raise up to $350 million

Trading Markets .Com

Pinnacle Foods Group, LLC has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Birds Eye Foods, Inc., a producer and marketer of processed food products, for $1,300 million. Both the companies are based in the US.

Pinnacle Foods is a unit of US-based private equity firm The Blackstone Group L.P. and manufactures and distributes branded packaged foods.

Birds Eye Foods is controlled by Vestar Capital Partners, Inc., Pro-Fac Cooperative, Inc. and the management of Birds Eye.

Pinnacle Foods expects to fund the transaction using a combination of new debt financing at the company and a significant new equity contribution from Blackstone. The debt financing for the transaction is provided by Barclays Capital, Inc., Credit Suisse Group AG, Bank of America Corporation, HSBC Bank plc and Macquarie Capital Group Limited in the form of senior secured credit facilities and senior unsecured bonds.

Blackstone Advisory Services L.P., Barclays Capital, Bank of America, Credit Suisse are acting as financial advisors, while Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is acting as legal advisor to Pinnacle Foods. Centerview Partners, LLC and JPMorgan Chase & Co. are acting as financial advisors, while Kirkland & Ellis LLP is acting as legal advisor to Birds Eye Foods.

The transaction is expected to occur in the first quarter of 2010.

The acquisition will provide Pinnacle Foods the opportunities to create value and strengthens its financial position. The combination creates a leader in both the frozen and shelf stable business segments and enables them to better serve its consumers and customers.

© Copyright 2009 The Connors Group, Inc.

Obesity Costs to Quadruple

2009-11-20T07:16:00.000-08:00

HEALTH

Obesity Costs to Quadruple
The U.S. could save nearly $200 billion in health care costs, the data show.

Garden of Healing®

WASHINGTON, DC

Spending to treat the health effects of obesity will quadruple over the next decade, and almost half of U.S. adults will be obese by 2018, according to the annual America's Health Rankings study.

Obesity is defined as being 20 percent or more above an individual's recommended weight.

Doctors who participated in the study warned that if obesity rates keep rising, spending on the health effects of obesity will grow to $344 billion by 2018.

If obesity rates hold at current levels, though, the U.S. would save nearly $200 billion in health care costs, the data show.

The study, released this week by the United Health Foundation, the American Public Health Association and Partnership for Prevention, has the attention of lawmakers on Capitol Hill as they look to cut costs with a health care overhaul.

"It's an epidemic that is preventable," said Representative James Moran, D-Virginia.

Doctors and lawmakers agree that obesity prevention must begin with younger generations, and begin soon.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Alzheimer's Gardens Heal With Nature

2009-11-19T16:11:00.000-08:00

GARDENS OF HEALING

Alzheimer's Gardens Heal With Nature
Gardens Give Sanctuary to Alzheimer’s Patients

Source:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96563&page=1

Elizabeth Brawley was set to pursue her fortune as an interior designer for the rich and famous.Then her mother was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease, and confined to a nursing home. That was 20 years ago, and her life and work since then has taken a radically different course.

“I had never been in a nursing home before then. When it became necessary to put my mother in a home I was stunned by what I saw,” she said.

What Brawley saw, in a mid-80’s nursing home, were aging adults with little chance to get outside, often staring at the same painting on the wall, the same view through a window or the television. Since then, she has devoted her professional life to “designing for Alzheimer’s” — everything from handrails and chairs to lights and entire rooms that fit the needs of adults with dementia, a fatal condition most commonly caused by Alzheimer’s.

Her most recent project is the American Landscape Society of America Alzheimer’s Garden Project — a series of nine gardens designed to accommodate those with Alzheimer’s. “We know that just getting outside is good for you. For Alzheimer’s patients it can help reduce anxiety, improve sleep patterns and give the caregiver a break,” says Jack Carman, a landscape architect who is Brawley's partner in the garden project.

Source:
http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=96563&page=1

Copyright © 2009 ABC News Internet Ventures. All Rights Reserved.

Viacom Wins U.S. TV Rights For Michael Jackson Film

2009-11-19T11:28:00.000-08:00

ENTERTAINMENT

MTV acquires 'This Is It' starting in 2011
Sony Pictures film has already pulled in $200 million in world-wide box office returns

Garden of Healing®

Look for Michael Jackson's music documentary 'This Is It' to air on MTV in 2011.

Viacom Inc. says it has won exclusive rights in the U.S. to air the film on its MTV and BET cable networks.

The Sony Pictures film, featuring rehearsal footage from the London concerts Mr. Jackson was planning when he died, has already pulled in $200 million in world-wide box office returns.

Michael Jackson died on June 25, 2009.

Viacom said Tuesday its rights to the movie last six years. Terms weren't disclosed.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

HeartMate II; New Device Improves Heart-failure Survival

2009-11-19T08:57:00.000-08:00

HEART DISEASE

Study: New device improves heart-failure survival
Heart pump greatly improves survival of people with severe heart failure.

Garden of Healing®

ORLANDO, FL

Doctors say that a new type of heart pump greatly improves survival of people with severe heart failure. It could become the first one of these devices to be widely used as a permanent treatment.

The device - called the HeartMate II and made by Thoratec Corp. of Pleasanton, CA - is the first of a new generation of smaller pumps that push blood continuously rather than simulating a heartbeat as older pumps do. A wire from the patient's abdomen connects the device to a small computer and batteries the patient wears in a belt pack.

The device is implanted next to a patient's own heart to help it pump.

In a study, the new device increased by four times the number of patients who survived at least two years, compared to an older pump that is used now just for short periods to keep people alive until a heart transplant can be done.

The big issue is cost. The pump costs $80,000, plus $45,000 for the surgery and hospital stay to implant it.

"It will allow older people who are not heart transplant patients to stay alive but at a higher cost. It's all about who's going to pay," said Cleveland Clinic heart chief Dr. Steven Nissen, who had no role in the research.

The pump was approved last year for use in people waiting for a transplant. The new company-funded study tested it in very sick heart failure patients not eligible for a transplant.

It enrolled 200 people as young as 26 and as old as 81 at several sites in the United States. Two-thirds got the new device; the rest received an older HeartMate pump. After two years, 46 percent of those on the new pump and 11 percent of those on the old one were alive without having suffered a stroke or needing an operation to fix or replace the device.

Results were presented Tuesday at an American Heart Association conference and published by the New England Journal of Medicine.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Niacin Better than Statin Drug for Arteries

2009-11-18T16:05:00.000-08:00

NUTRITIONAL SUPPLEMENTS

Niacin Better than Statin Drug for Arteries

Source: The Natural Products Insider

NETHERLANDS

The use of a pharmaceutical form of the B vitamin niacin to raise HDL cholesterol levels was more effective than using the drug ezetimibe to lower LDL cholesterol levels for patients at high cardiovascular risk who also took statins, reports a new study (New England Journal of Medicine). The study found Niaspan (an extended-release, prescription-only formulation of niacin made by Abbott) was more effective than Zetia (a statin-lowering drug from Merck & Co. Inc.) at reducing the artery plaque buildup after 14 months.

The patients enrolled in the study had a high risk of vascular events and had used statins for an average of six years. Researchers found “a clear superiority of niacin over ezetimibe” and further found niacin reduced buildup in the arteries whereas ezetimibe only prevented more buildup.

N Engl J Med. 2009 10.1056/NEJMe0908841
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/NEJMe0908841

Source:
http://www.naturalproductsinsider.com/news/2009/11/niacin-better-than-statin-drug-for-arteries.aspx#

Copyright © 2009 Virgo Publishing, LLC. All rights reserved.

UW-Madison Dietary Supplement Research Study involving Estrogen

2009-11-18T11:58:00.000-08:00

RESEARCH STUDY

Dietary Supplement Study measuring Estrogen balance levels
University of Wisconsin Madison conducts research study to measure estrogen balance involving supplements

Garden of Healing®

MADISON, WI

The Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the UW-Madison is conducting a research study open to women testing a dietary supplement commonly found in vegetables to see how it affects the balance of estrogen in the body.

Women of all body sizes are encouraged to participate.

You may be eligible to participate in this study if:

1) You are a woman between 30 and 50 years of age
2) You have a regular menstrual cycle
3) You are NOT taking any type of hormonal contraception (such as oral birth control pills) and are NOT on hormone therapy

This study is being conducted to learn more about preventing certain cancers. Participants will receive an incentive payment following study completion.

For more information, please call: (608) 265-6385.

© 1996 - 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

FDA targets alcohol-energy drinks

2009-11-14T06:06:00.000-08:00

BUSINESS NEWS

Alcoholic Energy Drinks Under Fire from FDA
Beverage makers given one month to hand over evidence that the combination of caffeine and alcohol is safe

Garden of Healing®

30 beverage makers received letters from the FDA Friday, giving manufacturers 30 days to prove that their beverages are safe.

The move came after 19 state attorneys general complained alcohol-infused energy drinks appeal to underage drinkers and encourage reckless behavior. Larger companies like Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD) have already removed caffeine from their alcoholic energy drinks.

The FDA has not yet approved caffeine for use in alcoholic beverages nor have they determined it to be hazardous. The FDA action has been taken on the suspicion that caffeine masks the effects of alcohol, leading to increased consumption and reckless behavior.

In their letter to the FDA, the attorneys general say caffeine can disguise the effects of alcohol, leading to "increased risk-taking and other serious alcohol related problems such as traffic accidents, violence, sexual assault and suicide," according to their letter.

MillerCoors acknowledged these hazards in December when they agreed to eliminate caffeine from Sparks, the most popular of alcoholic energy beverages.

Sparks and drinks of its kind make up 1% of total beer sales, roughly $1 billion annually.

© 1996 - 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Smoking Rises Again; 20% of Adults Say They Smoke

2009-11-13T18:10:00.000-08:00

HEALTH NEWS

Smoking rises for the first time in 14 years
CDC Survey Finds Adult Smoking Declines Have Stalled, Shows Elected Officials Must Step Up Fight Against Tobacco

Garden of Healing®

WASHINGTON, DC

Cigarette smoking rose for the first time in 14 years in 2008, federal health officials said.

The government's report stated that adult smoking declines have stalled since 2004, and that this is an urgent warning to elected officials that it is premature to declare victory over tobacco.

Tobacco continues to be the number one preventable cause of death in the United States.

Just more than 20% of adults said they smoke. That's up from 2007, when 19.8% said they were smokers.

"Clearly, we've hit a wall in reducing adult smoking, " said Vance Willmore, spokesman for the advocacy group Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids.

PRESS RELEASE:
http://www.tobaccofreekids.org/Script/DisplayPressRelease.php3?Display=1180

© 1996 - 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

UNICEF: Hunger Stunts Growth of Millions in Poor Countries

2009-11-12T08:13:00.000-08:00

WORLD HUNGER

Hunger Stunts Growth of Millions in the Developing World
Future generations in jeopardy unless urgent efforts are made to tackle undernutrition

Garden of Healing®

NEW YORK, NY

Nearly 200 million children in the developing world suffer from stunted growth resulting from chronic maternal and childhood undernutrition, according to a UNICEF report released Thursday titled ‘Tracking Progress on Child and Maternal Nutrition’.

The report was published a day before a three-day internationals summit on world hunger.

The head of a U.N. food agency called on the world to join him in a day of fasting ahead of the summit to highlight the plight of 1 billion hungry people.

UNICEF Press Release:
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_51692.html

© 1996 - 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Doping Officials Hint at New Tests

2009-11-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

SPORTS BRIEFING | Drug Testing

Doping Officials Hint at New Tests

By The Associated Press

TOKYO, JAPAN

The World Anti-Doping Agency is studying a new method that would allow wider testing of the banned blood-boosting hormone EPO. Arne Ljungqvist, vice president of WADA, did not provide details about the new process Sunday at a symposium in Tokyo on blood doping, saying its effectiveness needed to be verified. He said that if the new technique proved successful, it could be used much more widely than the existing system, which is expensive and complicated.

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.

Cereal Giant Kellogg Drops Immune-Boosting Claims for Sugary Cereal

2009-11-09T08:28:00.000-08:00

NUTRITION

Kellogg Drops Immune-Boosting Claims for Sugary Cereal
Can Rice Krispies be helpful in resisting bubonic plague or athlete’s foot?

Garden of Healing®

SAN FRANCISCO, CA

Eating Rice Krispie Treats won’t be of much help to you in avoiding the flu.

Cereal giant Kellogg announced last week Wednesday that they were removing the claim that Cocoa Krispies “now helps support your child’s immunity” which was plastered across the package in type not much smaller than the name of the product.

Coincidently, only one week before, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera had sent a letter to the company taking them to task for those claims, calling them "a potential violation" of California's Unfair Competition Law, which may "undermine critical public health efforts to prevent the spread of [H1N1 virus] that the President has declared to be [a] national emergency".

Kellogg began the ad campaign after it had increased the levels of antioxidants and other nutrients in the cereal.

The San Francisco City Attorney’s office gave Kellogg 30 days to respond with documentation verifying their claims the sugary cereal marketed to children could boost their immunity. Kellogg decided to simply drop the matter altogether but is dodging questions about whether city attorney Herrera’s letter had anything to do with it.

There’s no word yet on whether Rice Krispies might be helpful in resisting bubonic plague or athlete’s foot.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Unemployment hits 10.2 Percent in October, Highest in 26 Years

2009-11-07T15:21:00.000-08:00

ECONOMY

Unemployment highest in 26 years
Obama calls it "a sobering number that underscores the economic challenges that lie ahead."

Garden of Healing®
The Star Raconteur™

CHICAGO, IL

The Economy relapsed Friday with a return to double-digit unemployment for the worst joblessness since the Great Depression.

As the unemployment rate surged to 10.2 percent in October, it suddenly seemed possible that the nation might yet have to buckle down for even more bad news.

In the six decades since the government began compiling such data, the highest level of unemployment came at the end of 1982, when it hit 10.8 percent.

President Barack Obama called it "a sobering number that underscores the economic challenges that lie ahead."

Obama signed a measure to extend unemployment benefits and extended a tax credit for homebuyers.

Despite the widespread assumption that the recession has already ended, and even as the economy has resumed growing, the government’s latest snapshot of the labor market released Friday testified to the uncomfortable truth that expansion had yet to translate into jobs.

The sharp rise in unemployment — which climbed from 9.8 percent in September, as the nation lost another 190,000 net jobs — intensified pressure on the Obama administration to show results from the $787 billion package of spending measures unleashed early this year to spur the economy.

Unemployment at 11 percent would be a post-World War II record.

One faint sign of hope: Temporary employment grew by 33,700 jobs, its third straight month of gains after steep losses this year.

Employers are likely to add temporary workers before hiring permanent ones.

© 2009 The Garden of Healing® Company. The Star Raconteur™. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to The Star Raconteur !

2009-11-07T09:49:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Star Raconteur !