Category: Men’s Health and Wellness (Page 39 of 46)

While bringing home a live Christmas tree marks the beginning of the holiday season for many, the mold that thrives on its branches can trigger weeks of suffering for some, a new study shows.

Connecticut researchers have found that the mold count from a live Christmas tree rose to five times the normal level two weeks after the tree was brought indoors, and that can prove problematic for people with mold allergies. Their research was presented this week at the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology annual meeting, in Dallas.

“Christmas trees are another possible source of mold exposure during the holiday season,” said study co-author Philip Hemmers, an allergist and immunologist with St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport, Conn. “Mold allergies peak in the fall, and we see a second peak with a lot of our mold-sensitive patients during the holiday season. Our finding correlates with this second peak of mold sensitivity.”

The researchers studied the mold growth of a live Christmas tree in a house in Connecticut. The study found that the mold spore count was 800 spores per square meter (m3) for the first three days. Normal spore counts are less than 1,000 spores/m3, said Hemmers. However, the spore count rose after day four, reaching a maximum of 5,000 spores/m3 by day 14.

“This mold spore count is five times above normal. These high levels have been correlated with allergic rhinitis and an increased rate of asthma symptoms and asthma-related hospitalization in other studies,” said Hemmers. “So if you don’t feel well during the holidays, consider the Christmas tree as a possible source of allergies.”

Hemmers recommended that people with mold sensitivity keep a live Christmas tree in the house for only four to seven days. An artificial tree may be a better option for people with mold allergies.

Vitacost.com Daily Health Tip

It’s that time of year again, flu season.? Millions will be getting their flu shots because their told they should by the medical establishment.? But, should you?? I know I won’t.

One of the world’s leading immunologists, Dr. Hugh Fudenberg, conducted studies that found that people who receive the flu vaccine yearly for three to five years increase their risk of Alzheimer’s disease tenfold.

He suggests the culprits are mercury and aluminum in the vaccines. Mercury and aluminum are directly toxic to brain cells and also over-stimulate the brain’s immune system. There is compelling evidence that this mechanism can trigger Alzheimer’s dementia, Parkinson’s disease, Lou Gehrig’s disease and autism spectrum disorders, as well as Gulf War Syndrome.?

In addition, the mercury in childhood vaccines, as well as adult vaccines such as flu vaccines, accumulates in the brain and is very difficult to remove. The idea of having yearly mercury injections is insane, to say the least, but millions still willingly line up for their annual flu shot.

NewsMax Health?Alert?

Is there any alternatives to getting vaccines?? How about eating a diet consisting of whole natural foods and exercising.

Taken from Vitamin Research Products online article Library:?

A new survey indicates that almost two thirds of department heads at U.S. medical schools have financial ties to drug companies.

The survey, conducted by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, was distributed to all 125 accredited medical schools and the nation’s largest teaching hospitals. A total of 459 of 688 eligible department chairs completed the survey.

The results indicated that many of the academic leaders at these institutions served as paid consultants to the pharmaceutical industry or accepted free meals and drinks from drug company representatives. Overall, 60 percent of the department heads had a personal financial relationship with the drug companies. Twenty-seven percent reported serving as a paid consultant to the pharmaceutical industry and an equivalent amount of respondents also reported serving on a drug company scientific advisory board. Furthermore, 21 percent of these academic leaders reported serving on speakers’ bureaus for the drug industry. Eleven percent of respondents were on the board of directors of companies involved in the medical industry. In short, the survey found that pharmaceutical companies are involved in every aspect of medical care.

The lead author of the study, Eric Campbell, pointed out that drug companies and makers of medical devices often take advantage of these academic connections to convince physicians to widely prescribe the companies’ products to patients, even if the products aren’t necessarily in the patients’ best interest. Campbell also co-authored a study last year, which found that these same links to drug companies occur on hospital review boards that oversee experiments on patients.?

Reference:

Campbell EG, Weissman JS, Ehringhaus S, Rao SR, Moy B, Feibelmann S, Goold SD. Institutional academic industry relationships. JAMA. 2007 Oct 17;298(15):1779-86.