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Can Tea Tree Oil Body Wash Prevent MRSA?
by Dr. Mercola6 Jan 2009 at 7:10 am
A study is investigating whether tea tree oil body wash can prevent the drug-resistant super bug MRSA in critically ill hospitalized adults.
MRSA, which is short for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is a growing problem. MRSA is untreatable with most antibiotics and can cause potentially deadly complications. Hospitals and nursing homes are the prime breeding grounds for the disease.
In
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Women Warned: Eat Less or Weigh More
by Dr. Mercola6 Jan 2009 at 7:10 am
New research shows that women who don't try to eat less more than double their risk of substantial weight gain in middle age. If you're a 40-something woman, whether you're thin or overweight, the odds are that you'll gain weight over time if you don't make an effort to cut back on what you eat.
The finding comes from a study of nearly 200 women with an average age of 40. At the start of the study
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In Light of the Terrible Economy, 30 Money Sites to Check Out in 2009
by Dr. Mercola6 Jan 2009 at 7:09 am
There are so many personal finance resources online that it’s hard to know where to start. These sites have the information that you need to get a great start on 2009:
Blogs
Get Rich Slowly: This blog started as a personal financial journey, but has grown into much more. I Will Teach You To Be Rich: While most personal finance blogs focus on cutting costs, this one pushes readers to increase th ... read more
The Top Anti-Junk Food Marketing Moments in 2008
by Dr. Mercola6 Jan 2009 at 7:09 am
The Center for Science in the Public Interest’s childhood obesity team has produced a list of “great anti-junk food marketing” moments in 2008. They focus on progress in industry self-regulation, but also on congressional legislation to restrict marketing and put healthier foods in schools.
Their list included such items as:
Under public pressure, Nestle USA joined the Council of Better B ... read more
The Overwhelming Evidence That Sunlight Fights Cancer
by Dr. Mercola6 Jan 2009 at 7:09 am
A new paper analyses the case for vitamin D’s cancer-fighting power by looking at the well-known Hill criteria for examining causality in a biological system. The Hill criteria look at:
Strength of association Consistency (repeated observation) Specificity (one agent, one result) Temporality (exposure precedes effect) Biological gradient (dose-response relation) Plausibility (e.g., mechanisms) ... read more
Mandatory Flu Vaccination Law May Be Tested
by Dr. Mercola6 Jan 2009 at 7:08 am
A New Jersey state law requiring young children attending licensed pre-school and child care centers to get flu vaccinations will be tested as thousands of children return to classrooms after the holiday break.
New Jersey is the first state in the nation to require flu shots for young schoolchildren. The state set a December 31 deadline for parents to obtain flu vaccinations for their children, pa
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Top Vatican Official Says GMOs are Not the Answer to the Food Crisis
by Dr. Mercola6 Jan 2009 at 7:08 am
Cardinal Martino, the head of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, has previously been seen as little short of Monsanto's man in the Vatican. He has been perceived as working hand in glove with the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See to try and achieve a papal blessing for GMOs as a key tool in the fight against hunger.
In a stunning reversal, Cardinal Martino is apparently now saying that famin
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Smoking Ban Leads to Major Drop in Heart Attacks
by Dr. Mercola5 Jan 2009 at 7:05 am
A smoking ban in a Colorado city led to a dramatic drop in heart attack hospitalizations within three years. A study on the subject, the longest-running of its kind, showed the rate of hospitalized cases dropped 41 percent in the three years after the ban of workplace smoking in Pueblo, Colorado.
There was no such drop in two neighboring areas, and researchers believe it's a clear sign the ban wa
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America Losing the Fight Against Type 2 Diabetes
by Dr. Mercola5 Jan 2009 at 7:05 am
An epidemic of type 2 diabetes continues to sweep across the United States. It has left an estimated 24 million Americans struggling with the disease, an increase of more than 3 million people since 2005.
With the epidemic comes the wave of illnesses and disabilities brought on the disease, such as heart disease and stroke, blindness, amputations, kidney disease and nervous system damage.
Some d
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Toy Innovations that Wind Up in Warfare
by Dr. Mercola5 Jan 2009 at 7:05 am
In this video, Ralph Osterhout describes the "perverse symbiotic relationship" between the children's toy industry and military innovation.
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Fear Can Actually Be Your Friend
by Dr. Mercola5 Jan 2009 at 7:05 am
The video above is a presentation by Tim Ferriss entitled “How to Feel Like the Incredible Hulk.” He explains exactly how he conquered his fears of swimming, language learning, and ballroom dancing by questioning “obvious” guidelines and dogmatic teaching.
Ferriss explains three approaches -- first principles/assumptions, material over method, and implicit vs. explicit -- that you can imm
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Fosamax Causes Jaw Necrosis and Cancer of the Esophagus
by Dr. Mercola5 Jan 2009 at 7:04 am
Tens of millions of Americans currently take the osteoporosis drug Fosamax. But a brief report published today in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests a link between the osteoporosis drug and the development of esophageal cancer.
The report reveals that the has FDA received 23 reports of esophageal cancer possibly linked to the drug. Eight of the 23 have died so far. Some experts believe
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Fascinating Facts You Never Knew About the Human Brain
by Dr. Mercola5 Jan 2009 at 7:03 am
The human brain has amazed and baffled people throughout the ages. Some scientists and researchers have devoted their entire lives to learning how the brain works. Here are some facts about your brain.
Physical Attributes
The weight of the human brain is about 3 lbs.
Your skin weighs twice as much as your brain.
Your brain is made up of about 75 percent water.
Your brain consists of about 100 bill
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Facts You Need to Know About Sunlight and Skin Cancer
by Dr. Mercola5 Jan 2009 at 7:03 am
Noted expert Dr. John J. Cannell discusses the powerful benefits of vitamin D. Safe sun exposure may be the best thing for your skin, no matter what you may have heard!
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Five Ways to Pick up the Exercise Habit Again
by Dr. Mercola2 Jan 2009 at 8:28 am
Even people who consistently stick to an effective health and fitness routine can sometimes fall out of the habit. Getting back on track can be challenging -- unless you find ways to rebuild a strong desire to start exercising again.
Here are some ways to give yourself the mental kick in the pants that you need to stop procrastinating and get up off the couch:
Use it as an excuse to get “me” t
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Lower Your Blood Pressure With Vitamin C
by Dr. Mercola2 Jan 2009 at 8:28 am
A study has linked high blood levels of vitamin C with lower blood pressure in young women.
The study involved almost 250 women. They entered the trial when they were 8 to 11 years old, and over a 10-year period, their plasma levels of ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and blood pressure were monitored. Both their systolic and diastolic blood pressure readings, were found to be inversely associated with a
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Grape-Seed Extract Kills Leukemia Cells
by Dr. Mercola2 Jan 2009 at 8:27 am
An extract from grape seed forced leukemia cells in a lab to commit cell suicide. In a new study, 76 percent of leukemia cells had died within 24 hours of being exposed to the extract. The researchers were studying chemicals known as proanthocyanidins, which are found in fruits.
The researchers also teased apart the cell signaling pathway associated with use of grape seed extract that led to cell
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The Obesity Tax Proposal -- A Good Idea Or a Waste of Time?
by Dr. Mercola2 Jan 2009 at 8:27 am
A proposal on the table to help balance the New York state budget is an “obesity tax”, which would place an 18 percent sales tax on non-diet soda and other sweetened drinks with less than 70 percent fruit juice.
New York Governor Paterson said the tax would help raise $400 million, and State Health Commissioner Richard Daines made the YouTube video above explaining why he thinks it's a good id
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Are Parents Killing Their Kids With Kindness?
by Dr. Mercola2 Jan 2009 at 8:26 am
Britain is attempting to tackle its growing childhood obesity problem. Recently, British officials started a new campaign to warn parents that they may be “killing their children with kindness.”
Parents who indulge too many of their children’s desires, says the campaign, may be unwittingly setting them up for problems with heart disease, diabetes or cancer.
This is not the first time Britain
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An Easy Way to Double Your Vegetable Intake
by Dr. Mercola2 Jan 2009 at 8:26 am
In a new study, women more than doubled their fruit and vegetable intakes and dramatically increased their consumption of "good" fats when they were counseled by registered dietitians and provided with a list of nutritional guidelines reflecting the traditional Mediterranean diet.
The six-month study divided 69 women into two groups. Women in one group continued their usual diet and did not receiv
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Your Eyes Do More Than See
by Dr. Mercola2 Jan 2009 at 8:25 am
A team of neuroscientists has worked out how newly discovered light sensors in the eye, called melanopsin molecules, detect light and communicate with the brain. These light sensors are a small number of nerve cells in the retina that are not used for seeing images. Instead, they monitor light levels to adjust your body's clock and control constriction of your pupils
Researchers first tested the l
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A Little Help from Your Friends: Tap Into the Hidden Potential of the People ...
by Dr. Mercola1 Jan 2009 at 8:47 am
Do you have a dream? If you’re like most people, the answer is “yes” -- or, more likely, “yes, but…” Just about everyone has a dream they’d love to pursue, but they just don’t know how.
What you need is a little expert advice. The TV line-up is chock-full of shows that promise just that. But chances are, you’re already surrounded by people who can give you the knowledge you need
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How to Get More Done Without Freaking Out
by Dr. Mercola1 Jan 2009 at 8:47 am
In school, some kids who haven’t started their assignments freak out the night before it’s due. But you don’t need to do that.
You can plan it out weeks in advance and gotten things done the smart way ... or you can be just as unprepared as everybody else, but use it effectively.
Instead of letting the pressure to pull a last-minute assignment out of the hat get to you, used that pressure. P
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Medication Errors are Common in Cancer Treatment
by Dr. Mercola1 Jan 2009 at 8:47 am
Roughly 7 percent of adults and 19 percent of children taking chemotherapy drugs as outpatients or at home were given the wrong dose or experienced other mistakes involving their medications, according to a new study.
An analysis of data on nearly almost 1,500 patient visits at four oncology outpatient clinics showed that errors in medication were more common than previously reported.
Of the 90 m
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Is There Really a Healthy Way to Use Alcohol?
by Dr. Mercola1 Jan 2009 at 8:47 am
Marinating steak in beer or wine before cooking it dramatically reduces levels of chemicals that can cause cancer. Beer is more effective than wine at lowering the cancer-forming chemicals (and also apparently often makes for a better-looking and tastier meal.)
Cooking food increases its levels of chemical compounds called heterocyclic amines (HA’s), which can cause cancerous tumors. Frying and
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Peppermint is Good for What Ails You
by Dr. Mercola1 Jan 2009 at 8:47 am
A new study says that peppermint oil can be good for your health.
Peppermint oil can ease the symptoms of Irritable Bowl Syndrome, a painful condition that affects between five to 20 percent of the population. Peppermint also appears to prevent the growth of bacteria in foods. Some researchers are now advising people to eat a tablespoon or more of fresh peppermint every day.
However, I cannot coun
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A High-Fat Diet Can Disrupt Your Circadian Clock
by Dr. Mercola1 Jan 2009 at 8:46 am
A high-fat diet can affect the balance of circadian rhythms, your biological clock that regulates the activity of enzymes and hormones involved in metabolism. Disturbance of the circadian rhythms can lead to hormone imbalance, obesity, psychological disorders, sleep disorders and cancer.
Light is the strongest factor affecting the circadian clock, but new experiments with laboratory mice show a ca
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Watch Your Blood Sugar Levels and Save Your Mind
by Dr. Mercola1 Jan 2009 at 8:45 am
Maintaining blood sugar levels, even in the absence of disease, may be an important strategy for preserving cognitive health.
“Senior moments”, a term for small lapses in memory, may be caused at least in part by rising blood glucose levels as you age. The findings of a new study suggest that exercising to improve blood sugar levels could be a way for some people to stave off the cognitive dec
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Berry Compound Reduces Aging Effects
by Dr. Mercola31 Dec 2008 at 8:01 am
In a new study, elderly laboratory animals that ate a diet rich in the berry and grape compound pterostilbene showed a reversal of some of the negative effects of aging on brain function and behavioral performance.
The researchers wanted to determine if pterostilbene would be effective in reversing the effects of aging on mature rats. They fed older rats either a control diet, or a diet adjusted
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Exercise Proven to Make Your Kids Smarter
by Dr. Mercola31 Dec 2008 at 8:00 am
Several researchers have been making the case that aerobic exercise improves not only a student's fitness level, but also their test scores.
The federal No Child Left Behind program encourages schools to focus more of the school day on the core academic subjects while reducing class time in peripheral subjects, like art, music, and physical education. Only 6 percent of American high schools now o
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