Smokers also rely on the routine of smoking-for example, in the car on the way to work, or with friends at break time, or after dinner. Quitting is a very tough challenge for smokers.
Some smoking-cessation medications contain nicotine. These medications help to lessen withdrawal symptoms by slowly lowering the nicotine levels in the body. They let the smoker focus on breaking the social habits of nicotine without batting the withdrawal symptoms at the same time. Consult your pharmacist for best choice of medication.

There are a few steps to prepare you to become and stay smoke-free
Choose a quit date and stick to it
1. Consult pharmacist who will help you quit
2. Be prepared. Think ahead about the challenges you may come across, for example, wanting to light up with your morning cup of coffee or having to turn down a cigarette from a friend who smokes.
3. Understand your medications. Know how and when to use them and what to expect from each of them.
4. Have self-help materials available. Great recourses and links are also available at www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm.
5. Get information on available programs and services from pharmacist
6. Keep busy. Distract yourself by exercising, drinking water or chewing gum.
7. Avoid temptation. Establish a new routine to help you avoid old habits.

Many pharmacies in Pakistan are establishing smoking-cessation clinics. If you participate in one of these clinics, you will have regular appointments with a pharmacist. You and the health care provider together will establish and maintain a quit plan, discuss and monitor your medications and work toward helping you become and stay smoke-free. Check on what local community programs are available for you.

A well-stimulated brain also elevates your mood, which helps you feel better on the inside.

Here are 15 brain boosting activities:
1. Play games that challenge and stimulate your mind. These include:

• Picture Puzzles
• Strategy Games
• Crossword Puzzles
• Card Games
• Deduction Games (such as Clue)
• Visualization Puzzles
• Optical Illusions

2. Reading stimulates the brain as it activates your imagination. Reading also helps with memory retention and problem solving, especially if youre reading a mystery. Also, self-help books stimulate your brain by helping you to think for yourself, as well as find solutions in your mind..

3. Exercising helps circulate blood that carries oxygen to your brain. Over the long-term, exercise is proven to increase brainpower and even create new neurons.

4. Stimulate your brain with meditation.. Meditation has been shown to increase your IQ, relieve stress, and promote a higher level of brain functioning. Meditation also stimulates the prefrontal cortex of the brain, the area of the brain responsible for advanced thinking, ability and performance.

5. Deep breathing helps deliver oxygen to your brain. Oxygen helps you be more alert and awake. As little as 10 to 15 minutes of deep breathing daily can increase brain functionality.

6. Taking fish oil supplements is literally like membrane material for the brain.. The two primary components in fish oil, DHA and EPA, strengthen the emotional center of the brain and boost focus.

7. Studies have proven that listening to music strengthens the right hemisphere of the brain and actually changes the structure of it. Also, people who listen to music are shown to be more emotionally intelligent than those who dont.

8. Writing improves memory and thought expression. Writing articles, blogs, or journal entries stimulates thought processes, which also enhances brain function.

9. Sleep clears out brain clutter and reduces brain fog. When you dont get enough sleep at night, your memory and normal brain function suffers.

10. Painting is shown to be an effective brain booster in that it sparks the creativity within you. Even if youve never tried painting before, give it a shot. Youll find that you feel more creative and may actually enjoy it.

11. Starting the day out with a good breakfast has been proven to supply energy to the brain and body for the whole day. When you skip breakfast, youre missing out on a powerful edge, both physically and mentally.

12. Walking allows you to clear your mind and thoughts. Not only is it good exercise for your body, walking gives your brain a chance to wander freely, clearing it of any troublesome thoughts.

13. Drink a serving of pure fruit juice.. Fruit juice contains nutrients that revitalize and refresh the brain. Juices to drink are pomegranate, blueberry, and cranberry as they deliver more focus and energy.

14. Students who drink some caffeine before an exam typically have higher scores than those who dont. This is because caffeine stimulates activity in the brain, which produces better focus and thinking ability. Dont overdo it though!

15. Draw a picture. Like painting, drawing stimulates the creative side of your brain. So get out some colored pencils and start boosting your brainpower.

To get the most out of these brain boosting activities, mix them up and do a variety of them at different times. Just choosing one wont boost your brainpower, however, combining and alternating them will give your brain the added boost you need now and in the long run.

Jonathan Meyer and his study team took data from the Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) and used it to evaluate the effect of antipsychotic drugs on systemic inflammation. Every drug tested, particularly Zyprexa and Seroquel, markedly increased inflammation levels which are implicated in causing all sorts of other disorders.

Elevated levels of C-reactive proteins in particular were noted as a common side effect of taking antipsychotic drugs. High levels of these proteins are implicated in bringing about illnesses like heart disease and stroke.

Cardiovascular problems have long plagued the mentally ill. There is a much higher death rate from cardiovascular disease among the mentally ill population than there is among the general population. With current research indicating that serious inflammation also occurs from the same drugs, all indications seem to point directly to antipsychotic drugs as the culprit in unleashing a myriad of health problems.

Study doctors believe that the findings will encourage medical professionals to more closely examine the effects of these drugs in their patients. They also hope that as new information comes to light about the consequences of commonly-prescribed medications such as antipsychotic drugs, doctors will be more cautious in evaluating when and if to prescribe them.

Comments by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
According to the pharmaceutical companies, there’s no need to be concerned about the side effects caused by psychiatric drugs. Why? Because they have other drugs to treat all those side effects, too!

In fact, there’s nothing wrong with one drug that can’t be treated with another drug.

Seriously: This is the mindset of modern medicine: Pump people full of drugs, chasing side effects with one chemical after another until people either die or run out of insurance coverage, at which point none of it really matters anymore.

From a Big Pharma marketing perspective, the best thing about pharmaceuticals is precisely the fact that they have side effects that create long-term repeat business. And psychiatric drugs, it
turns out, are particularly good at bringing patients back to the hospital with yet more serious health problems.

by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger
Editor of NaturalNews.com

The elevator was launched in the West long ago, but even now, health conscious people there sometimes use the stairs instead sometimes as an excuse for a small workout. The people in the East however still cling to Western ideals not bothering how they can optimise their health. To be really healthy, one needs to shun false ideals and adopt a lifestyle that can boost one’s health in the long run. For example, people in Pakistan blindly follow the media trends without using their own mind. The media ad campaigns capitalize on people’s imaginations promoting intake of soft drinks with BBQ meals. The viewer sitting in front of television sets does not even bother to seek a second opinion whether it is good for him to have cold drinks with Shish Kebobs for the poor fellow has been brainwashed. No doubt, cold drinks with spicy meals taste great since they provide temporary respite from the chilly flavour yet we ignore the risks to health involved. Research shows that having cold water or drinks during meals slows down the digestion since it is a heat consuming process. Furthermore, the intestines secrete a fluid during digestion, which gets diluted when we drink cold water.

Modern times offer a passive lifestyle. Driving a vehicle is everybody?s dream and nobody thinks of balancing it out with physical workouts. There are very few people who are cautious of maintaining good health that take up brisk walking or jogging to burn body fats and in this way lend some exercise to the heart muscles. Leading sedentary life styles makes us fall victim to heart diseases, diabetes, depressions and what not! Regular workouts lasting even 20-30 minutes, at least three to four times a week can rescue us and make us fit. Normally, executives who have hectic work schedules find themselves working late in the evenings, and then only wish to return home after wrapping their routine duties. Such individuals could buy an affordable treadmill to keep at homes, which they could use in the morning for 15-20 minutes before breakfast. This is also a way to keep your blood pressure under control and to remain active and youthful. Apart from treadmills, many free hand exercises like push-ups and pull-ups could also be undertaken. Many natural activities in your domestic settings can also contribute to your health. For instance, instead of always relying on your gardener, you can give him a leave once a week and pull the lawn mower for trimming your lawn or cutting the hedges in your garden with scissors yourself even if it requires sweating.

Our thought patterns play a very significant role in determining our health. Many of us lack a greater purpose in life. Our goals just revolve around getting university degrees, getting an executive job and progress even at the cost of the right of our colleagues, having a car after just one year of job experience, wanting to be socially accepted in even those circles where we do not belong, getting married, looking after our children and then preparing ourselves for the retirement phase in terms of financial security. These targets are somewhat necessary to nurture but depending on our resources, our Creator demands something more from us. We have to reach out to those who are in distress, be they in our neighbourhood or wherever we spend most of our time. The feeling that you are doing something for others not just as a charity measure but as goodwill gesture raises your spirits and strengthens your mind over the years. Goodwill acts may involve contributing to the plight of the people in your area, giving free tuitions to youth imparting them with your wisdom and experience, and carrying out small steps that might be seemingly mundane like helping out around your own house instead of leaving everything to the servants.

Cable TV viewing has now taken a large share of our time in the evenings. The favourite pastime for many is channel surfing where they keep switching between 60-7- channels. The term “couch potato” was never so relevant as today. Obesity is the hallmark of the second millennium and more so because of our food consuming habits. Many people here prefer eating out in restaurants and consume snacks or processed foods preferring them to fresh vegetables and fruits that guard your body against illnesses. Drink consuming habit need to be monitored also. Green tea intake two to three times a day is very beneficial to tone up your body and helps in fighting scores of illnesses including cancer, while imparting vitality to your moods. In addition to that, 10-12 glasses of water-intake daily is much necessary as it flushes your inner system, energizes you up and keeps your skin youthful.

We are a poor country, yet we aspire for the lifestyles of the inhabitants of the first world as conveyed through their media messages that have grown deep in our mindsets. The thing to be wary here is that many Westerners are simple folk who shun the media trends and adopt healthy outlooks with focus on natural foods. Good health is above all, and there should be no compromise on it.

If you have mild thalassemia, you may not need treatment. But, if you have a more severe form of thalassemia, you may need regular blood transfusions. You can also take steps on your own, such as eating a good diet, to help boost your energy.

Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of thalassemia include:

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Pale appearance
• Irritability
• Yellow discoloration of skin (jaundice)
• Facial bone deformities
• Slow growth
• Protruding abdomen
• Dark urine

The signs and symptoms you experience depend on your type and severity of thalassemia. Some babies show signs and symptoms of thalassemia at birth, while others may develop signs or symptoms later, during the first two years of life. Some people who have only one affected hemoglobin gene don’t experience any thalassemia symptoms.

When to see a doctor
Make an appointment with your child’s doctor for an evaluation if he or she has any of the following signs or symptoms of thalassemia:

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Shortness of breath
• Pale appearance
• Irritability
• Yellow discoloration of skin (jaundice)
• Facial bone deformities
• Slow growth
• Protruding abdomen
• Dark urine

Causes
The cause of thalassemia is defects in the genes that make hemoglobin. The only way to get thalassemia is to inherit one or more defective hemoglobin genes from your parents.

Hemoglobin is a red, iron-rich protein found in red blood cells. Hemoglobin enables red blood cells to carry oxygen from your lungs to all parts of your body and to carry carbon dioxide from other parts of your body to your lungs so that it can be exhaled. Most blood cells, including red blood cells, are produced regularly in your bone marrow – a red, spongy material found within the cavities of many of your large bones.

Thalassemia disrupts the normal production of hemoglobin and leads to a low level of hemoglobin and a high rate of red blood cell destruction, causing anemia. When you’re anemic, your blood doesn’t have enough red blood cells to carry oxygen to your tissues – leaving you fatigued.

There are two major types of thalassemia: alpha and beta, named for the two protein chains that make up normal hemoglobin. The type of thalassemia you have depends on the type of defective gene you inherit.

Alpha-thalassemia
Four genes are involved in making the alpha hemoglobin chain. You get two from each of your parents. If one or more of the alpha hemoglobin genes are defective, you develop alpha-thalassemia.

The more defective genes you have, the more severe your alpha-thalassemia:

One gene. If only one of your alpha hemoglobin genes is defective, you’ll have no signs or symptoms of thalassemia. But, you’re a carrier of the disease and can pass it on to your children.

Two genes. If you have two defective alpha hemoglobin genes, thalassemia signs and symptoms are mild. This condition may be called alpha-thalassemia minor, or you may be told you have an alpha-thalassemia trait.

Three genes. If three of your alpha hemoglobin genes are defective, your signs and symptoms will be moderate to severe. This condition is also called hemoglobin H disease.

Four genes. When all four alpha hemoglobin genes are defective, the condition is called alpha-thalassemia major or hydrops fetalis. It usually causes a fetus to die before delivery or shortly after birth.

Beta-thalassemia
Two genes are involved in making the beta hemoglobin chain. You get one from each of your parents. If one or both of the beta hemoglobin genes are defective, you develop beta-thalassemia.

One gene. If one of your beta hemoglobin genes is defective, you have mild signs and symptoms. This condition is called beta-thalassemia minor or referred to as a beta-thalassemia trait.

Two genes. If both of your beta hemoglobin genes are defective, your signs and symptoms will be moderate to severe. This condition is called beta-thalassemia major or Cooley’s anemia. Babies born with two defective beta hemoglobin genes usually are healthy at birth, but develop signs and symptoms within the first two years of life.

Risk factors
Factors that increase your risk of thalassemia include:

Family history. Thalassemia is passed from parents to children through defective hemoglobin genes.

Ancestry. Thalassemia occurs most often in people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, southern Asian and African ancestry. Alpha-thalassemia affects mainly people of Southeast Asian, Chinese and Filipino descent.

Complications
Possible complications of thalassemia include:

Iron overload. People with thalassemia can get too much iron in their bodies, either from the disease itself or from frequent blood transfusions. Too much iron can result in damage to your heart, liver and endocrine system, which includes glands that produce hormones that regulate processes throughout your body.

Infection. Thalassemia increases your risk of developing a blood-borne infection related to blood transfusions, such as hepatitis, which is a virus that can damage your liver.

In cases of severe thalassemia, the following complications can occur:

Bone deformities. Thalassemia can make your bone marrow expand, which causes your bones to widen. This can result in abnormal bone structure, especially in your face and skull. Bone marrow expansion also makes bones thin and brittle, increasing the chance of broken bones, particularly in your spine. Spine factures can result in compression of your spinal cord.

Enlarged spleen (splenomegaly). The spleen helps your body fight infection and filter unwanted material, such as old or damaged blood cells. Thalassemia often destroys a large number of red blood cells, making your spleen work harder than normal, causing it to enlarge. Splenomegaly can make anemia worse, and it can reduce the life of transfused red blood cells. If your spleen grows too big, it may need to be removed.

Slowed growth rates. Anemia can cause a child’s growth to slow. Children with severe thalassemia rarely reach a normal adult height. Due to endocrine problems, puberty also may be delayed in these children.

Heart problems. Heart problems, such as congestive heart failure and abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias), may be associated with severe thalassemia.
Preparing for your appointment
People with moderate to severe forms of thalassemia are usually diagnosed within the first two years of life. If you’ve noticed some of the signs and symptoms of thalassemia in your infant or child, see your family doctor or pediatrician. You may then be referred to a doctor who specializes in blood disorders (hematologist).

Because appointments can be brief, and there’s often a lot of ground to cover, it’s a good idea to be well prepared for your appointment. Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment, and what to expect from your doctor.

What you can do
Write down any symptoms you or your child are experiencing, including any that may seem unrelated to the reason for which you scheduled the appointment.

Write down key personal information, including any major stresses or recent life changes. Ask family members if anyone on either side of the family has ever had thalassemia, and let your doctor know if they have.

Bring a list of all medications, vitamins and supplements that you’re taking.
Write down questions to ask your doctor.

Your time with your doctor may be limited, so preparing a list of questions can help you make the most of your time together. List your questions from most important to least important in case time runs out. For thalassemia, some basic questions to ask your doctor include:

• What’s the most likely cause of my or my child’s symptoms?
• Are there other possible causes?
• What kinds of tests are needed?
• What treatments are available?
• What treatments do you recommend?
• What are the most common side effects from each treatment?
• I (or my child) have these other health conditions. How can they best be managed together?
• Are there any dietary restrictions to follow? Do I (or my child) need to take any nutritional supplements?
• Are there any brochures or other printed material that I can take home? What Web sites do you recommend visiting?

In addition to the questions that you’ve prepared to ask your doctor, don’t hesitate to ask questions during your appointment any time you don’t understand something.

What to expect from your doctor
Your doctor is likely to ask you a number of questions. Being ready to answer them may reserve time to go over any points you want to spend more time on. Your doctor may ask:

• Do you know if anyone in your family has thalassemia?
• In what part of the world did your family originate?
• When did you first begin experiencing symptoms?
• Have your symptoms been continuous, or occasional?
• How severe are your symptoms?
• Does anything seem to improve your symptoms?
• What, if anything, appears to worsen your symptoms?

Tests and diagnosis
Most children with moderate to severe thalassemia show signs and symptoms within their first two years of life. If your doctor suspects your child has thalassemia, he or she may confirm a diagnosis using blood tests.

If your child has thalassemia, blood tests may reveal:

• A low level of red blood cells
• Smaller than expected red blood cells
• Pale red blood cells
• Red blood cells that are varied in size and shape
• Red blood cells with an uneven hemoglobin distribution, which gives the cells a bull’s-eye appearance under the microscope

Blood tests may also be used to:

• Measure the amount of iron in your child’s blood
• Evaluate his or her hemoglobin
• Perform DNA analysis to diagnose thalassemia or to determine if a person is carrying defective hemoglobin genes

Prenatal testing
Testing can be done before a baby is born to find out if he or she has thalassemia and determine how severe it may be. Tests used to diagnose thalassemia in unborn babies include:

Chorionic villus sampling. This test is usually done around the 11th week of pregnancy and involves removing a tiny piece of the placenta for evaluation.

Amniocentesis. This test is usually done around the 16th week of pregnancy and involves taking a sample of the fluid that surrounds the baby.

Fetal blood sampling. This test can be performed after 18 weeks of gestation and involves taking blood from the fetus or the blood vessels in the umbilical cord using an ultrasound-guided needle.

Assisted reproductive technology
A form of assisted reproductive technology that combines pre-implantation genetic diagnosis with in vitro fertilization may help parents who have thalassemia or who are carriers of a defective hemoglobin gene give birth to healthy babies. The procedure involves retrieving mature eggs from a woman and fertilizing them with a man’s sperm in a dish in a laboratory. The embryos are tested for the defective genes and only those without genetic defects are implanted in the woman.

Treatments and drugs
Treatment for thalassemia depends on which type you have and how severe it is.

Treatments for mild thalassemia
Signs and symptoms are usually mild with thalassemia minor and little, if any, treatment is needed. Occasionally, you may need a blood transfusion, particularly after surgery, after having a baby or if you develop an infection.

Treatment for moderate to severe thalassemia
These more severe forms of thalassemia often require frequent blood transfusions, possibly eight or more each year. Over time, blood transfusions cause a buildup of iron in your blood, which can damage your heart, liver and other organs. To help your body get rid of the extra iron, you may need to take medications known as “iron chelators.” These medications may be given as a pill or as an infusion under your skin (subcutaneous).

In some cases, a bone marrow transplant or a stem cell transplant may be used to treat severe thalassemia. However, because these procedures have serious risks, including death, they’re generally reserved for people with the most severe disease who have a well-matched sibling donor available.

Lifestyle and home remedies
If you have thalassemia, be sure to:

Avoid excess iron. Unless your doctor recommends it, don’t take vitamins or other supplements that contain iron.

Eat a healthy diet. Eating a balanced diet that contains plenty of nutritious foods can help you feel better and boost your energy. Your doctor may also recommend you take a folic acid supplement to help your body make new red blood cells. Also, to keep your bones healthy, make sure your diet contains adequate calcium, zinc and vitamin D. Ask your doctor what the right amounts are for you, and whether you need to take a supplement.
Drinking tea may help keep your iron levels down because a substance in tea – tannins – prevents iron from being absorbed in the gut. However, tea can’t replace chelating medications if you receive blood transfusions.

Avoid infections. Protect yourself from infections with frequent hand washing and by avoiding sick people. This is especially important if you’ve had to have your spleen removed. You’ll also need an annual flu shot, as well as the meningitis, pneumococcal and hepatitis B vaccines to prevent infections. If you develop a fever or other signs and symptoms of an infection, see your doctor for treatment.

Coping and support
Coping with thalassemia can be challenging. But, you don’t have to do it alone. If you have questions or would like guidance, talk with a member of your health care team. You may also benefit from joining a support group. Such a group can provide both sympathetic listening and useful information. To find out about support groups in your area that deal with thalassemia, ask your doctor or contact the Cooley’s Anemia Foundation at 800-522-7222.

Prevention
In most cases, thalassemia cannot be prevented. If you have thalassemia, or if you carry a thalassemia gene, consider talking with a genetic counselor for guidance before you have or father a child.

Natural Treatment For Thalassemia
Home Remedies for Thalassemia:

One should consume diet rich in iron contents as green leafy vegetables and fruits that are a rich source of iron to an individual. A very beneficial home remedy in Thalassemia.

Also various fruit and vegetables should be consumed that are a rich source of folic acid since this further helps to promote the formation of the blood cells in the body.

One should consume eggs, fish and meats as these are a very rich sources of iron in the diet.

One should also consume milk regularly at least twice a day.

Also one should avoid junk foods as much as possible.

While consuming milk another very beneficial measure is that one can add honey around one or two teaspoonful in the milk. A very beneficial home remedy in Thalassemia.

One can also consume extra vitamins, and minerals that are supplemented for extra care.

One must perform various yogic asanas and most important of these is the Sun Salutation or the Surya Namaskara as this asana comprises of various poses in yoga that are performed one after the other. It not only just benefits in Thalassemia particularly but this also helps out the individual to have a complete healthy mind and body. A very beneficial home remedy in Thalassemia.

One must also add ginger in diet so as to help increase the appetite. This helps in consuming the required food. A very beneficial home remedy in Thalassemia.

One must also consume lemonade as it helps in the regulation of the various mechanisms in the body to regulate the production of blood cells. A very beneficial home remedy in Thalassemia.

Warning: The reader of this article should exercise all precautionary measures while following instructions on the home remedies from this article. Avoid using any of these products if you are allergic to it. The responsibility lies with the reader and not with the site or the writer.
The service is provided as general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor.

The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. Acidity — a prominent characteristic of tomatoes — causes BPA to leach into your food.

2. Corn-Fed Beef
The expert: Joel Salatin, co-owner of Polyface Farms and author of books on sustainable farming

Cattle were designed to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. A recent comprehensive study found that compared with corn-fed beef, grass-fed beef is higher in beta-carotene, vitamin E, omega-3s, conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), calcium, magnesium, and potassium.

3. Microwave Popcorn
The expert: Olga Naidenko, PhD, a senior scientist for the Environmental Working Group

Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer. Studies show that microwaving causes the chemicals to vaporize — and migrate into your popcorn.

4. Nonorganic Potatoes
The expert: Jeffrey Moyer, chair of the National Organic Standards Board

Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting. After they’re dug up, the potatoes are treated yet again to prevent them from sprouting.

5. Farmed Salmon
The expert: David Carpenter, MD, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany

Nature didn’t intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT.

6. Milk Produced with Artificial Hormones
The expert: Rick North, project director of the Campaign for Safe Food at the Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility

Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk. It also leads to higher levels of a hormone called insulin-like growth factor in milk. In people, high levels of IGF-1 may contribute to breast, prostate, and colon cancers.

7. Conventional Apples
The expert: Mark Kastel, codirector of the Cornucopia Institute

If fall fruits held a “most doused in pesticides contest,” apples would win. And increasing numbers of studies are starting to link a higher body burden of pesticides with Parkinson’s disease.

Source: http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/the-7-foods-experts-wont-eat-547963/

Fortunately, a wide variety of home blood pressure monitors can be purchased at pharmacies so that patients can take an active role in helping to control their blood pressure by checking it at home.

Home blood pressure monitors are relatively affordable, especially considering the value of the information they deliver. By recording and documenting fluctuations in BP, a home monitor can assist in determining an appropriate drug-dose internal, as well as evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic modifications. This information in turn reinforces to the patient the advantages of good BP control and an overall understanding of disease itself. Increased awareness may provide better compliance while potentially decreasing the incidence of the deadly, long-term consequences of uncontrolled hypertension.

Community pharmacists are uniquely positioned to overcome the barriers associated with pharmacy-based BP measurement. Home BP monitors are typically sold in community pharmacies. Moreover, patients visit their pharmacy almost monthly to pick up their antihypertensive medication, more frequently than any other health care facility. Furthermore, collaborative relationships are being developed between physicians and community pharmacists to improve hypertension management.

The three major types of BP monitors available for home use include aneroid manometers, semi-automatic digital monitors and fully automatic digital devices. The standard method for measuring BP is the mercury sphygmomanometer which measures BP with plastic or glass tubular gauge, a mercury reservoir, and a manually inflated cuff. In order to measure BP this device uses gravity. Thus its readings are considered the most clinically consistent and accurate.

The aneroid monitor employs a mechanical bellows and lever system that requires frequent calibration to create reliable and accurate readings. The aneroid monitors are the least expensive option for patients, yet they are considered less accurate, compared with mercury sphygmomanometers. The digital monitors come with either a semiautomatic or completely automatic inflatable cuff. These monitors almost entirely use oscillometric measurement in order to determine BP. Small oscillations or changes in cuff inflation obtain the mean systolic and diastolic pressure. These readings are calculated by using a set of percentages that very depending on model’s manufacturers.

The mercury sphygmomanometer and aneroid manometer may be less expensive, they do not lend themselves to home use. For both types of devices, the majority of patients do not possess the sills and dexterity required to use them, as a stethoscope, must be used to auscultate the Korotkuff sounds. Furthermore, for the mercury sphygmomanometer, mercury presents a potential health hazard if spilled or if it comes in direct contact with skin.

The digital monitor appears to have all the characteristics that make it an ideal choice for HBPM. The BP reading is displayed on an easily readable digital screen designed with large formats for older adults with poor eyesight. Most monitors will routinely record and store BP and heartbeat readings, with some having the additional capability of downloading the data to a PC for tracking, printing and even e-mailing to health care provider. Studies have shown that these devices demonstrate a high degree of correlation with auscultation readings obtained by a practitioner or by oscillometric devices.

Taking blood pressure at home gets rid of the stress of being at hospital. When the blood pressure is increased due to the anxiety of being in the hospital, this is called white-coat hypertension. Monitoring blood pressure at home will help to changes in lifestyle such as a low-salt diet or increased exercise to keep blood pressure down. Check blood pressure at the same times ever day, about an hour after wake up and in the evening, about an hour before bedtime. Always use the same arm each time. Make sure that patient is in a quiet, a comfortable setting when monitoring blood pressure. A full bladder can increase blood pressure slightly, so go to the bathroom first.

Avoid caffeine, food and tobacco for 30 minutes before checking blood pressure. Before checking blood pressure, sit in a comfortable position with patient back supported, legs and ankles uncrossed, and feet on the floor for at least 3 to 5 minutes. Do not talk, eat or chew gum while taking blood pressure. Place the cuff directly on skin and do not roll up long sleeves. This can make the readings incorrect. Take a second blood pressure measurement 1 to 2 minutes after the first one is finished for better accuracy.

In the course of a year, individuals in the United States suffer 1 billion colds, according to some estimates.

Colds are most prevalent among children, and seem to be related to youngsters’ relative lack of resistance to infection and to contacts with other children in day-care centers and schools. Children have about six to ten colds a year. In families with children in school, the number of colds per child can be as high as 12 a year. Adults average about two to four colds a year, although the range varies widely. Women, especially those aged 20 to 30 years, have more colds than men, possibly because of their closer contact with children. On average, individuals older than 60 have fewer than one cold a year.

The economic impact of the common cold is enormous. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) estimates that, in 1994, 66 million cases of the common cold in the United States required medical attention or resulted in restricted activity. In 1994, colds caused 24 million days of restricted activity and 20 million days lost from school, according to NCHS.

The Causes
The Viruses. More than 200 different viruses are known to cause the symptoms of the common cold. Some, such as the rhinoviruses, seldom produce serious illnesses. Others, such as parainfluenza and respiratory syncytial virus, produce mild infections in adults but can precipitate severe lower respiratory infections in young children.

Rhinoviruses (from the Greek rhin, meaning “nose”) cause an estimated 30 to 35 percent of all adult colds, and are most active in early fall, spring and summer. More than 110 distinct rhinovirus types have been identified. These agents grow best at temperatures of 33 degrees Celsius [about 91 degrees Fahrenheit (F)], the temperature of the human nasal mucosa.

Coronaviruses are believed to cause a large percentage of all adult colds. They induce colds primarily in the winter and early spring. Of the more than 30 isolated strains, three or four infect humans. The importance of coronaviruses as causative agents is hard to assess because, unlike rhinoviruses, they are difficult to grow in the laboratory.

Approximately 10 to 15 percent of adult colds are caused by viruses also responsible for other, more severe illnesses: adenoviruses, coxsackieviruses, echoviruses, orthomyxoviruses (including influenza A and B viruses), paramyxoviruses (including several parainfluenza viruses), respiratory syncytial virus and enteroviruses.

The causes of 30 to 50 percent of adult colds, presumed to be viral, remain unidentified. The same viruses that produce colds in adults appear to cause colds in children. The relative importance of various viruses in pediatric colds, however, is unclear because of the difficulty in isolating the precise cause of symptoms in studies of children with colds.

Does cold weather cause a cold? Although many people are convinced that a cold results from exposure to cold weather, or from getting chilled or overheated, NIAID grantees have found that these conditions have little or no effect on the development or severity of a cold. Nor is susceptibility apparently related to factors such as exercise, diet, or enlarged tonsils or adenoids. On the other hand, research suggests that psychological stress, allergic disorders affecting the nasal passages or pharynx (throat), and menstrual cycles may have an impact on a person’s susceptibility to colds.

The Cold Season
In the United States, most colds occur during the fall and winter. Beginning in late August or early September, the incidence of colds increases slowly for a few weeks and remains high until March or April, when it declines. The seasonal variation may relate to the opening of schools and to cold weather, which prompt people to spend more time indoors and increase the chances that viruses will spread from person to person.

Seasonal changes in relative humidity also may affect the prevalence of colds. The most common cold-causing viruses survive better when humidity is low—the colder months of the year. Cold weather also may make the nasal passages’ lining drier and more vulnerable to viral infection.

Cold Symptoms
Symptoms of the common cold usually begin two to three days after infection and often include nasal discharge, obstruction of nasal breathing, swelling of the sinus membranes, sneezing, sore throat, cough, and headache. Fever is usually slight but can climb to 102o F in infants and young children. Cold symptoms can last from two to 14 days, but two-thirds of people recover in a week. If symptoms occur often or last much longer than two weeks, they may be the result of an allergy rather than a cold.

Colds occasionally can lead to secondary bacterial infections of the middle ear or sinuses, requiring treatment with antibiotics. High fever, significantly swollen glands, severe facial pain in the sinuses, and a cough that produces mucus, may indicate a complication or more serious illness requiring a doctor’s attention.

How Cold Viruses Cause Disease
Viruses cause infection by overcoming the body’s complex defense system. The body’s first line of defense is mucus, produced by the membranes in the nose and throat. Mucus traps the material we inhale: pollen, dust, bacteria and viruses. When a virus penetrates the mucus and enters a cell, it commandeers the protein-making machinery to manufacture new viruses which, in turn, attack surrounding cells.

Cold symptoms: the body fights back. Cold symptoms are probably the result of the body’s immune response to the viral invasion. Virus-infected cells in the nose send out signals that recruit specialized white blood cells to the site of the infection. In turn, these cells emit a range of immune system chemicals such as kinins. These chemicals probably lead to the symptoms of the common cold by causing swelling and inflammation of the nasal membranes, leakage of proteins and fluid from capillaries and lymph vessels, and the increased production of mucus.

Kinins and other chemicals released by immune system cells in the nasal membranes are the subject of intensive research. Researchers are examining whether drugs to block them, or the receptors on cells to which they bind, might benefit people with colds.

How Colds are Spread
Depending on the virus type, any or all of the following routes of transmission may be common:

* Touching infectious respiratory secretions on skin and on environmental surfaces and then touching the eyes or nose.
* Inhaling relatively large particles of respiratory secretions transported briefly in the air.
* Inhaling droplet nuclei: smaller infectious particles suspended in the air for long periods of time.

Research on rhinovirus transmission. Much of the research on the transmission of the common cold has been done with rhinoviruses, which are shed in the highest concentration in nasal secretions. Studies suggest a person is most likely to transmit rhinoviruses in the second to fourth day of infection, when the amount of virus in nasal secretions is highest. Researchers also have shown that using aspirin to treat colds increases the amount of virus shed in nasal secretions, possibly making the cold sufferer more of a hazard to others.

Prevention
Handwashing is the simplest and most effective way to keep from getting rhinovirus colds. Not touching the nose or eyes is another. Individuals with colds should always sneeze or cough into a facial tissue, and promptly throw it away. If possible, one should avoid close, prolonged exposure to persons who have colds.

Because rhinoviruses can survive up to three hours outside the nasal passages on inanimate objects and skin, cleaning environmental surfaces with a virus-killing disinfectant might help prevent spread of infection.

A cold vaccine? The development of a vaccine that could prevent the common cold has reached an impasse because of the discovery of many different cold viruses. Each virus carries its own specific antigens, substances that induce the formation of specific protective proteins (antibodies) produced by the body. Until ways are found to combine many viral antigens in one vaccine, or take advantage of the antigenic cross-relationships that exist, prospects for a vaccine are dim. Evidence that changes occur in common-cold virus antigens further complicate development of a vaccine. Such changes occur in some influenza virus antigens and make it necessary to alter the influenza vaccine each year.

Treatment
Only symptomatic treatment is available for uncomplicated cases of the common cold: bed rest, plenty of fluids, gargling with warm salt water, petroleum jelly for a raw nose, and aspirin or acetaminophen to relieve headache or fever.

A word of caution: several studies have linked the use of aspirin to the development of Reye’s syndrome in children recovering from influenza or chickenpox. Reye’s syndrome is a rare but serious illness that usually occurs in children between the ages of three and 12 years. It can affect all organs of the body, but most often injures the brain and liver. While most children who survive an episode of Reye’s syndrome do not suffer any lasting consequences, the illness can lead to permanent brain damage or death. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends children and teenagers not be given aspirin or any medications containing aspirin when they have any viral illness, particularly chickenpox or influenza. Many doctors recommend these medications be used for colds in adults only when headache or fever is present. Researchers, however, have found that aspirin and acetaminophen can suppress certain immune responses and increase nasal stuffiness in adults.

Nonprescription cold remedies, including decongestants and cough suppressants, may relieve some cold symptoms but will not prevent, cure, or even shorten the duration of illness. Moreover, most have some side effects, such as drowsiness, dizziness, insomnia, or upset stomach, and should be taken with care.

Nonprescription antihistamines may have some effect in relieving inflammatory responses such as runny nose and watery eyes that are commonly associated with colds.

Antibiotics do not kill viruses. These prescription drugs should be used only for rare bacterial complications, such as sinusitis or ear infections, that can develop as secondary infections. The use of antibiotics “just in case” will not prevent secondary bacterial infections.

Does vitamin C have a role? Many people are convinced that taking large quantities of vitamin C will prevent colds or relieve symptoms. To test this theory, several large-scale, controlled studies involving children and adults have been conducted. To date, no conclusive data has shown that large doses of vitamin C prevent colds. The vitamin may reduce the severity or duration of symptoms, but there is no definitive evidence.

Taking vitamin C over long periods of time in large amounts may be harmful. Too much vitamin C can cause severe diarrhea, a particular danger for elderly people and small children. In addition, too much vitamin C distorts results of tests commonly used to measure the amount of glucose in urine and blood. Combining oral anticoagulant drugs and excessive amounts of vitamin C can produce abnormal results in blood-clotting tests.

Inhaling steam also has been proposed as a treatment of colds on the assumption that increasing the temperature inside the nose inhibits rhinovirus replication. Recent studies found that this approach had no effect on the symptoms or amount of viral shedding in individuals with rhinovirus colds. But steam may temporarily relieve symptoms of congestion associated with colds.

Interferon-alpha has been studied extensively for the treatment of the common cold. Investigators have shown interferon, given in daily doses by nasal spray, can prevent infection and illness. Interferon, however, causes unacceptable side effects such as nosebleeds and does not appear useful in treating established colds. Most cold researchers are concentrating on other approaches to combatting cold viruses.

The Outlook
Thanks to basic research, scientists know more about the rhinovirus than almost any other virus, and have powerful new tools for developing antiviral drugs. Although the common cold may never be uncommon, further investigations offer the hope of reducing the huge burden of this universal problem.

Credits
U.S. Department Of Health And Human Services
For more information visit them at http://www.nih.gov

If you eat cheeseburgers or French fries all the time or drink six sodas a day, you likely know you are shortening your life. But eating a nice dark, crunchy slice of whole wheat bread–how could that be bad for you?

Well, bread contains gluten, a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt, kamut, and oats. It is hidden in pizza, pasta, bread, wraps, rolls, and most processed foods. Clearly, gluten is a staple of the American diet.

What most people don’t know is that gluten can cause serious health complications for many. You may be at risk even if you don’t have full blown celiac disease.

In today’s blog I want to reveal the truth about gluten, explain the dangers, and provide you with a simple system that will help you determine whether or not gluten is a problem for you.

The Dangers of Gluten
A recent large study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that people with diagnosed, undiagnosed, and “latent” celiac disease or gluten sensitivity had a higher risk of
death, mostly from heart disease and cancer. (i)

This study looked at almost 30,00 patients from 1969 to 2008 and examined deaths in three groups: Those with full-blown celiac disease, those with inflammation of their intestine but not full-blown celiac disease, and those with latent celiac disease or gluten sensitivity (elevated gluten antibodies but negative intestinal biopsy).

The findings were dramatic. There was a 39 percent increased risk of death in those with celiac disease, 72 percent increased risk in those with gut inflammation related to gluten, and 35 percent
increased risk in those with gluten sensitivity but no celiac disease.

This is ground-breaking research that proves you don’t have to have full-blown celiac disease with a positive intestinal biopsy (which is what conventional thinking tells us) to have serious health problems and complications–even death–from eating gluten.

Yet an estimated 99 percent of people who have a problem with eating gluten don’t even know it. They ascribe their ill health or symptoms to something else–not gluten sensitivity, which is 100 percent curable.

And here’s some more shocking news …

Another study comparing the blood of 10,000 people from 50 years ago to 10,000 people today found that the incidences of full-blown celiac disease increased by 400 percent (elevated TTG antibodies) during that time period. (ii) If we saw a 400 percent increase in heart disease or cancer, this would be headline news. But we hear almost nothing about this. I will explain why I think that increase has occurred in a moment. First, let’s explore the economic cost of this
hidden epidemic.

Undiagnosed gluten problems cost the American healthcare system oodles of money. Dr. Peter Green, Professor of Clinical Medicine for the College of Physicians and Surgeons at Columbia University studied all 10 million subscribers to CIGNA and found those who were correctly diagnosed with celiac disease used fewer medical services and reduced their healthcare costs by more than 30 perecnt. (iii) The problem is that only one percent of those with the problem were
actually diagnosed. That means 99 percent are walking around suffering without knowing it, costing the healthcare system millions of dollars.

And it’s not just a few who suffer, but millions. Far more people have gluten sensitivity than you think–especially those who are chronically ill. The most serious form of allergy to gluten, celiac
disease, affects one in 100 people, or three million Americans, most of who don’t know they have it. But milder forms of gluten sensitivity are even more common and may affect up to one-third of
the American population.

Why haven’t you heard much about this?
Well, actually you have, but you just don’t realize it. Celiac disease and gluten sensitivity masquerade as dozens and dozens of other diseases with different names.

Gluten Sensitivity: One Cause, Many Diseases
A review paper in The New England Journal of Medicine listed 55 “diseases” that can be caused by eating gluten. (iv) These include osteoporosis, irritable bowel disease, inflammatory bowel disease, anemia, cancer, fatigue, canker sores, (v) and rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, multiple sclerosis, and almost all other autoimmune diseases. Gluten is also linked to many psychiatric (vi) and neurological diseases, including anxiety, depression, (vii) schizophrenia, (viii) dementia, (ix) migraines, epilepsy, and neuropathy (nerve damage). (x) It has also been linked to autism.(ix)

We used to think that gluten problems or celiac disease were confined to children who had diarrhea, weight loss, and failure to thrive. Now we know you can be old, fat, and constipated and still have celiac disease or gluten sensitivity.

Gluten sensitivity is actually an autoimmune disease that creates inflammation throughout the body, with wide-ranging effects across all organ systems including your brain, heart, joints, digestive tract, and more. It can be the single cause behind many different “diseases.” To correct these diseases, you need to treat the cause–which is often gluten sensitivity–not just the symptoms.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that ALL cases of depression or autoimmune disease or any of these other problems are caused by gluten in everyone–but it is important to look for it if you have
any chronic illness.

By failing to identify gluten sensitivity and celiac disease, we create needless suffering and death for millions of Americans. Health problems caused by gluten sensitivity cannot be treated with better medication. They can only be resolved by eliminating 100 percent of the gluten from your diet.

The question that remains is: Why are we so sensitive to this “staff of life,” the staple of our diet?

There are many reasons …

They include our lack of genetic adaptation to grasses, and particularly gluten, in our diet. Wheat was introduced into Europe during the Middle Ages, and 30 percent of people of European descent carry the gene for celiac disease (HLA DQ2 or HLA DQ8), (xii) which increases susceptibility to health problems from eating gluten.

American strains of wheat have a much higher gluten content (which is needed to make light, fluffy Wonder Bread and giant bagels) than those traditionally found in Europe. This super-gluten was recently introduced into our agricultural food supply and now has “infected” nearly all wheat strains in America.

To find out if you are one of the millions of people suffering from an unidentified gluten sensitivity, just follow this simple procedure.

The Elimination/Reintegration Diet
While testing can help identify gluten sensivity, the only way you will know if this is really a problem for you is to eliminate all gluten for a short period of time (2 to 4 weeks) and see how you
feel. Get rid of the following foods:

• Gluten (barley, rye, oats, spelt, kamut, wheat, triticale–see www.celiac.com for a complete list of foods that contain gluten, as well as often surprising and hidden sources of gluten.)
• Hidden sources (soup mixes, salad dressings, sauces, as well as lipstick, certain vitamins, medications, stamps and envelopes you have to lick, and even Play-Doh.)

For this test to work you MUST eliminate 100 percent of the gluten from your diet–no exceptions, no hidden gluten, and not a single crumb of bread.

Then eat it again and see what happens. If you feel bad at all, you need to stay off gluten permanently. This will teach you better than any test about the impact gluten has on your body.

But if you are still interested in testing, here are some things to keep in mind.

Testing for Gluten Sensitivity or Celiac Disease
There are gluten allergy/celiac disease tests that are available through Labcorp or Quest Diagnostics. All these tests help identify various forms of allergy or sensitivity to gluten or wheat. They will look for:

• IgA anti-gliadin antibodies
• IgG anti-gliadin antibodies
• IgA anti-endomysial antibodies
• Tissue transglutaminase antibody (IgA and IgG in questionable cases)
• Total IgA antibodies
• HLA DQ2 and DQ8 genotyping for celiac disease (used occasionally to detect genetic suspectibility).
• Intestinal biopsy (rarely needed if gluten antibodies are positive–based on my interpretation of the recent study)

When you get these tests, there are a few things to keep in mind.

In light of the new research on the dangers of gluten sensitivity without full blown celiac disease, I consider any elevation of antibodies significant and worthy of a trial of gluten elimination. Many doctors consider elevated anti-gliadin antibodies in the absence of a positive intestinal biopsy showing damage to be “false positives.” That means the test looks positive but really isn’t
significant.

We can no longer say that. Positive is positive and, as with all illness, there is a continuum of disease, from mild gluten sensitivity to full-blown celiac disease. If your antibodies are elevated, you should go off gluten and test to see if it is leading to your health problems.

So now you see–that piece of bread may not be so wholesome after all! Follow the advice I’ve shared with you today to find out if gluten may be the hidden cause of your health problems. Simply eliminating this insidious substnace from your diet, may help you achieve lifelong vibrant health.

That’s all for today. Now I’d like to hear from you …

Are you one of the millions that have been lead to believe gluten is perfectly safe to eat?

How do foods that contain gluten seem to affect you?

What tips can you share with others about eliminating gluten from your diet?

Please let me know your thoughts by posting a comment below.

To your good health,

Mark Hyman, MD

For over thirty years I have been warning about the potential problems associated with vaccines. I have, during that time, provided a considerable amount of proof showing that vaccination programes often do more harm than good. I have no vested interest for or against vaccines. I don’t receive money from drug companies. I don’t sell alternatives to vaccines. All I have to tell you is the truth. And what you read here won’t cost you a penny.

The most significant known fact about vaccines is that they can cause brain damage. And they can kill.

This isn’t theory or supposition. It is fact.

Since the late 1970s the British Government has quietly handed out tens of thousands of pounds in damages to parents of children suffering from brain damage caused by vaccines.

I believe, and have believed for many years, that autism is also caused by vaccination.

I believe that the epidemiological evidence supports this hypothesis. The number of children being diagnosed as suffering from autism has rocketed as the number of children being vaccinated has rocketed.

If vaccines are known to cause brain damage isn’t it logical to assume that they can also cause autism?

In November 2004, Channel 4 broadcast a programme which seemed designed to discredit a doctor who claimed in the late 1990s that the MMR vaccine might cause autism. I never had much faith in that particular doctor’s theories. And never reported his findings.

But it seemed to me that Channel 4 was implying that he and his colleagues were the only doctors promoting a link between vaccination and autism.

What nonsense.

(Those who saw the Channel 4 programe and who also share my dislike of animal experiments may have noticed that one of the doctors who seemed critical of Dr Wakefield’s work commented that his work involved animals. `What has that to do with humans?’ he asked. Ah yes. What a good question. What Channel 4 forgot to mention is that just about all basic research work on vaccines is done on animals. Vaccines are tested on animals. Channel 4, like drug companies, seems happy with animal experiments when they are useful but equally happy to dismiss them when it is convenient to do so.)

I have been suggesting that there might be a link between autism and vaccination for decades.

No one has yet discredited my theories.

Some viewers of the Channel 4 programme might well have assumed that if that particular doctor’s theories were wrong then there is not, and cannot be, any link between vaccination and autism.

What nonsense.

The whole programe seemed to me to be nothing more than a piece of Government propaganda.

What a surprise.

Yet again British television supports the Establishment.

For decades I have been arguing that vaccines may do more harm than good.

The evidence shows that diseases said to have been conquered by vaccines were in fact often controlled by other means long before vaccines were introduced. There is no doubt that vaccines can cause brain damage – and many other problems. I have for many years believed and argued that autism is one of the consequences of vaccination.

As the years have gone by, the number of vaccines available has increased steadily. Modern American children receive around thirty vaccinations by the time they go to school.

A decade or two ago the only vaccines available were against a relatively small number of diseases including smallpox, tuberculosis, polio, cholera, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Today, the number of available vaccines seems to grow almost daily. In the past, vaccines were produced against major killer diseases. Today vaccines are produced against diseases such as measles, mumps and chickenpox which have been traditionally regarded as relatively benign inconveniences of childhood.

In the UK the death rate from measles had dropped dramatically decades before the vaccine was introduced. Today, despite (or, perhaps, because of?) the widespread use of the vaccine, the incidence of measles is rising again.

In attempts to persuade parents to have their children vaccinated against measles, governments and doctors around the world have thought up an apparently unending – and hysterical – series of scare campaigns. Now that there is a vaccine against it measles has, by a strange coincidence, stopped being an annoying childhood disease and has, instead, become a deadly killer.

Scares often consist of claiming that a major epidemic is just around the corner and that only vaccination can offer protection. I have lost count of the number of whooping cough epidemics which governments have wrongly forecast. Governments and their advisers are either unbelievably stupid or else they are deliberately lying to help boost drug company profits.

Of course, countless scientists around the world have spent vast fortunes trying to create a vaccine against AIDS (in view of the fact that AIDS may not exist they may find this trickier than expected).

And scientists have apparently developed a banana vaccine by creating genetically engineered banana plants. There are plans to develop bananas which `protect’ against hepatitis B, measles, yellow fever and poliomyelitis.

Other scientists have developed a genetically engineered potato which it may be possible to use as a vaccine against cholera. The active part of the potato remains active during the process of cooking and so a portion of genetically engineered chips could soon be a vaccine against cholera. (I am not making this up.)

Naturally, the pharmaceutical industry is constantly searching for more and more new vaccines. I have lost count of the number of times I have read of researchers working on a vaccine to prevent cancer. Every year new flu jabs appear on the market. There are, so I am told, vaccines in the pipeline for just about everything ranging from asthma to earache. There is a planned genetically engineered vaccine which will provide protection against forty different diseases. The vaccine, which will contain the raw DNA of all those different diseases, will be given to newborn babies to provide them with protection for life. Oh, goody.

I don’t know about you but I can no longer keep up with what is going on. I have long since given up trying to work out which vaccines are very dangerous and which are just a bit dangerous – and to whom.

Nor can I keep up with which vaccines might work a bit and which don’t seem to do much good at all. Does anyone know what the hell happens inside the body when all these different vaccinations are given together? Do different vaccines work with or against one another? What about the risk of interactions? Exactly how does the immune system cope when it is suddenly bombarded with so much foreign material?

I am an enthusiastic supporter of the principle of preventive medicine. It is usually much easier to avoid an illness than it is to treat one.

Vaccination programes are usually sold to the public as though they are an integral part of a general preventive medicine programe.

But over the years I have steadily come around to the view that vaccination programes cannot truly be described as preventive medicine but are, rather, a part of the interventionist approach to medical care.

I have for decades argued that some vaccines may be unnecessary and/or even potentially dangerous in some circumstances, and may sometimes be promoted too enthusiastically by both politicians and doctors.

Vaccinations have been linked to a number of general health problems. It now seems possible, for example, that individuals who receive vaccinations may be more prone to develop diabetes, allergies (such as asthma), eczema and bowel disease (such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome). The explanation – which makes sense to me – is that vaccinations interfere with the immune system and make the recipients more susceptible to disease. It has also been suggested that vaccinations may be the explanation for the mystery problem `cot death’. And it now seems that in cases where parents (and others) have been accused of murdering their children by shaking them or in some other way abusing them the real culprit may well have been a vaccine. Brain swelling, intracranial bleeding and other symptoms of `shaken baby syndrome’ can all be produced by vaccines. However, this isn’t widely known – perhaps because doctors and drug companies would rather that unfortunate parents took the blame for these deaths. Incidentally, vaccination damage can occur weeks, months or years after a vaccination.

Vaccines have to be developed using living systems. They are, therefore, usually cultivated in material taken from animals – in cell cultures, in fertilised hen’s eggs or in the blood of infected animals. Tissues which are used include brain tissue from rabbits, kidney tissue from dogs, rabbits and monkeys, protein from hen’s or duck’s eggs, blood from horses or pigs. This system can, of course, be dangerous since cell cultures may be contaminated (as was the case with the polio vaccine made with monkey tissue). Some vaccines have been prepared using bovine serum and it now appears that during the early 1990s an unknown number of British children received vaccinations which may have been prepared using material from British cattle which could have been infected with BSE.

Naturally, no one knows the size of the risk that was taken at the time (though it seems that the British Government was warned of the hazard).

And no one is likely to know the size of any problem resulting from this for at least a decade. This is yet another piece of powerful evidence supporting those who are opposed to mass vaccination programmes.

(It is perhaps relevant to point out that vaccines also often contain additives. Antibiotics may be added to dampen down the immune system response. And stabilisers of various kinds may also be included.)

Evidence that vaccines may do more harm than good is supported by experiences with animals. Between 1968 and 1988 there were considerably more outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in countries where vaccination against foot and mouth disease was compulsory than in countries where there were no such regulations. Epidemics always started in countries where vaccination was compulsory. This experience clearly shows that the alleged advantage to the community of vaccinating individuals simply does not exist.

Similar observations were made about the hyena dog, which was, in 1989, threatened with extinction. Scientists vaccinated individual animals to protect them against rabies but more than a dozen packs then died within a year – of rabies. This happened even in areas where rabies had never been seen before. When researchers tried using a non-infectious form of the pathogen (to prevent the deaths of the remaining animals) all members of seven packs of dogs disappeared. And yet the rabies vaccine is now compulsory in many parts of the world. Is it not possible that it is the vaccine which is keeping this disease alive?

Those who eat meat should be aware that cattle (and other animals reared for slaughter) are regularly vaccinated. The meat that is taken from those animals may, therefore, contain vaccine residues in addition to hormones, antibiotics and other drugs.

Tragically, many doctors seem to know very little about the vaccines they advocate. In my view, if a doctor wants to vaccinate you or a member of your family you should insist that he confirm in writing that the vaccine is both entirely safe and absolutely essential. You may notice his enthusiasm for the vaccine suddenly diminish.

Despite all this evidence, vaccines for children and adults are compulsory in some countries. In other countries (such as the UK) doctors are given a financial bonus as a reward when they `sell’ vaccination to a large proportion of their patients.

As more and more people become wary about vaccines so it is likely that more and more countries will make vaccination compulsory.