Beware & Protect Yourself 02 (Jan 09 - Aug 10)

[winston]

Why You Should Toss Your Nonstick Pans By Kelley Herring

Infertility... from a cooking pan? That's right.

A recent study published in Human Reproduction found that pregnant women and women of child-bearing age in the United States are at high risk for reproductive problems as a result of exposure to the toxic Teflon chemical PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid). In fact, women with elevated levels of PFOA experienced more difficulties conceiving and were twice as likely to be diagnosed with infertility as women with lower PFOA body burdens.

Perfluorochemicals (PFCs) are all over your kitchen - especially in your nonstick pans, but also in tap water, food wrap, and microwaveable popcorn bags.

Toss those nonstick pots and pans and buy a set of nontoxic cookware (for example, from Emile Henry, Staub, Chantal, Le Creuset, or Mercola). And if you're still using a microwave, stop. It excites the molecules in plastic containers and wraps, transferring them into your food and devitalizing it.

[winston]

Got this today..

Police Message: Coke+Ajinomoto Can be Used To Rape Ladies

DO YOU KNOW ? Coke+Ajinomoto Can be Used To Rape Ladies

I received a news about the recent tactic used to spike girls' drink.

It is a cheap and widely used method.

This method was used in Canny Ong murder.

Rapist uses this method.

Coca-cola+ajinomoto/monosodium glutamate = a medicine which will cause drowsiness and excitement in the victim.

This mixture is poisonous if used too often on the victim.

Please send this to all your female friends, sisters, & your loved ones and ask them to beware.

DO NOT accept coca-cola or any other drinks from stranger / even if it is your friend that you are not very close with.

Regards,
Hishamuddin Alias ( ASP )
Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Berat
IPK Kuala Lumpur

[winston]

Woman dead after eating at Geylang Serai food stall

Channel NewsAsia - Monday, April 6SINGAPORE : A woman died in hospital Monday morning after becoming ill from a meal consumed at a food stall in a Geylang Serai market.

57—year—old Madam Aminah Samijo died after suffering from severe food poisoning after having eaten at the Rojak Geylang Serai stall last Friday.

She later went into a coma, making her the worst hit among the more than 100 people who also sought treatment after eating at the stall.

The Health Ministry confirmed that Madam Aminah died at 6.50am at the Changi General Hospital on Monday.

Her body has been moved to the Singapore General Hospital for autopsy.

[winston]

China recalls German baby powder containing asbestos
Online: http://www.thelocal.de/society/20090406-18467.html

China's state quality watchdog said baby skin powder manufactured by German housekeeping and healthcare products maker MAPA has been removed from shelves in China for allegedly containing asbestos.

MAPA, part of French rubber and plastics conglomerate Hutchinson Worldwide, markets its baby care products under the NUK brand.

A spokesman of Hutchinson's China subsidiary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed sales of NUK baby powder had been suspended but refused to comment on whether it contained the forbidden chemical.

South Korean authorities reportedly tested 30 brands of baby powder and found 12 contained the carcinogen asbestos, including the NUK baby powder, the quarantine agency said in a statement on its website late Sunday.

The agency said it would continue to "closely watch the matter and take effective measures proactively to safeguard the health and safety of infants."

China was last year rocked by a scandal over milk contaminated by the industrial chemical melamine that killed at least six babies and left almost 300,000 others ill.

The scandal came to light in September, causing deep international concern and leading to recalls and bans around the world of products made in China.

AFP

[winston]

January warning over strokes

A highly fatal type of stroke appears to occur more frequently during the coldest months of winter and when atmospheric pressure rises, doctors have observed.

In an article published in the Hong Kong Medical Journal, researchers said such strokes, called aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage, peak in January.

''It is the most fatal type of brain hemorrhage, with a mortality rate of 50 percent,'' said George Wong, associate professor at the Prince of Wales Hospital's neurosurgery division.

Those who do not survive usually die on the day of the stroke.

Wong and his colleagues studied records of 135 patients who suffered this form of stroke from October 2002 to October 2006, and found that most of the strokes occurred in winter.

''The incidence is higher in winter, which correlates with changes in atmospheric pressure,'' he said.

Wong's team will try to find out the actual processes that changes in atmospheric pressure trigger in the human brain, but he said it may have to do with blood pressure change.

''It [such a stroke] is more common in patients with hypertension and smokers,'' he said.

''The two messages we want to bring out are for people to be more aware of weather conditions and for people to control their blood pressure and, of course, quit smoking.''

REUTERS

[winston]

Report warns of problems with multivitamins

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - More than 30 percent of multivitamins tested recently by ConsumerLab.com contained significantly more or less of an ingredient than claimed, or were contaminated with lead, the company reports.

ConsumerLab.com, based in White Plains, New York, is privately held and provides consumer information and independent evaluations of products that affect health and nutrition. According to the company, it is neither owned by nor has a financial interest in any companies that make, distribute or sell consumer products.

Several multivitamin products tested, including three for children, exceeded tolerable upper limits established by the Institute of Medicine for ingredients such as vitamin A, folic acid, niacin and zinc, according to the report posted on www.ConsumerLab.com.

For example, the Institute of Medicine sets a recommended daily allowance (RDA) of 1,300 international units (IU) of vitamin A for children ages 4 to 8 years and an upper tolerable limit of 3,000 IU. However, one multivitamin tested provided 5,000 IU of vitamin A.

In the short term, too much vitamin A may cause nausea and blurred vision, and, in the long-term, may lead to bone softening and liver problems.

Upper tolerable limits for niacin and zinc were also exceeded by some of the supplements for young children tested. Excess niacin may cause skin tingling and flushing and high levels of zinc may cause immune deficiency and anemia.

Tests turned up problems with some men's multivitamin products as well. Two of three men's multivitamins failed to pass testing. One contained too much folic acid, which may increase the risk of prostate cancer, while another was contaminated with lead.

Among four women's multivitamins tested, one provided only 66 percent of its claimed vitamin A; one of five seniors' multivitamins selected contained only 44 percent of its vitamin A; and among three prenatal vitamins, one was short on vitamin A.

Two out of five general multivitamins were short on ingredients: one provided only 50 percent of its claimed folic acid and the other was missing 30 percent of its calcium.

A vitamin water tested by ConsumerLab.com had 15 times its stated amount of folic acid, so drinking one bottle would exceed the tolerable limit for adults; less than half a bottle would put children over the limit, the company warns on its website.

[winston]

SARS rears ugly head as Chinese dies on Russian train

Russian authorities evacuated 53 passengers to quarantine and sealed off a train after a Chinese woman died of what could be a mystery infectious disease, officials said.

''At the Zuyevka station in the Kirov region, the dead woman was urgently taken off the train. All the travellers, a group of migrants who were in her proximity, were also evacuated,'' the regional government said.

''Taking into account the unfortunate epidemiological situation in the People's Republic of China, all possible measures were taken to avoid the spread of an infection,'' it said.

According to officials in the remote region about 850 kilometres east of Moscow, the 53 people are being held at a hospital infections ward, and the results of their diagnosis will be known today.

News agency RIA-Novosti initially quoted a local doctor as saying at least four of the passengers had fevers and that the woman could have died of an ''atypical pneumonia.''

Some reports quoted local medical officials expressing concern the woman could have died of SARS that has killed hundreds in Asia, but the local health ministry said it is too early to tell.

Regional authorities identified the woman as born in 1985.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

[winston]

Bright Sushi, Red Flag By Kelley Herring

Sushi has health benefits, but also has some hidden health dangers.

This one may shock you.

With its appetizing hue, sushi tuna (ahi) is hard to resist. The fish must be really fresh to have such a bright shade of red. Right?

Not exactly. It is treated with carbon monoxide - the gas that streams from the tailpipe of your car and is deadly when inhaled. When "applied" to tuna, it reacts with the heme proteins in the fish, imparting the cherry color.

Avoid sushi tuna. While the coloring process may be considered "safe" by industry standards, there's no long-term evidence that it is. And if carbon monoxide is deadly when you breathe it in, that certainly is enough to raise an eyebrow... if not a red flag.

[winston]

Charred meats increase pancreatic cancer risks

Regularly eating meat cooked at a high temperature, to the point of charring, can increase the risk of pancreatic cancer by 60 percent, researchers said.

''Our findings in this study are further evidence that turning down the heat when grilling, frying, and barbecuing to avoid excess burning or charring of the meat may be a sensible way for some people to lower their risk for getting pancreatic cancer,'' said Kristin Anderson of the University of Minnesota, who led the study.

Anderson said well and very well done meats cooked by frying, grilling or barbecuing formed carcinogens.

Meat that is baked, stewed or cooked at lower temperatures does not form carcinogens.

The study tracked the eating habits of 62,581 healthy people over nine years, after which 208 cases of pancreatic cancer were found.

Subjects who preferred very well done steak were nearly 60 percent as likely to get pancreatic cancer.

''Those with the highest intake of very well-done meat had a 70 percent higher risk for pancreatic cancer over those with the lowest consumption,'' Anderson said.

''Those who enjoy either fried or barbecued meat should consider turning down the heat or cutting off burned portions when it's finished; cook meat sufficiently to kill bacteria without excess charring.''

She also said the precursors of cancer-causing compounds can be reduced ''by microwaving the meat for a few minutes and pouring off the juices before cooking it on the grill.''

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

[winston]

Yurun issues recall over tainted luncheon meat

A major mainland meat processor has recalled 100 boxes of luncheon meat containing a banned chemical, the media reported.

China Yurun Food Group destroyed the products, made of unspecified minced meat from a slaughterhouse, the National Business Daily said, citing a provincial quality watchdog and an unnamed Yurun official.

An official with Yurun's public relations agency declined to comment, saying only that the Hong Kong-listed company would be issuing a statement.

The meat was contaminated with clenbuterol, a drug often given to people to treat asthma, but also commonly used to cut body fat.

Mainland farmers have been known to feed pigs clenbuterol to reduce their fat, but it is banned as a food additive because it can be fatal to humans.

State media reported last month that police arrested nine people for selling pigs that were fed the chemical, after at least 70 people fell ill.

One of the worst cases involving clenbuterol occurred in Shanghai in 2006 when 336 people were hospitalized after eating pig meat or organs contaminated with the drug, state media reports have said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE