Latest News – For our clients and customers to keep up to date with current health and herbal medicine research and their conditions
- DDT found in salmon: Pesticide discovered in farmed fish on sale in five major British supermarkets Trace levels found in Waitrose, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Iceland salmon Saturday March 08th, 2014
Salmon production process involves dousing fish in chemicals to kill lice
Fish also given protein feed which can contain DDT and other by-products
Pesticide DDT banned for use 30 years ago because of risk to human health
Some studies suggest link between DDT and Alzheimer’s disease in elderly
Pesticides have been found in fresh salmon sold by leading supermarkets.
Farmed salmon from Norway and Scotland is hugely popular as a healthy oily fish.
However, the production process involves dousing the fish, reared in cages moored in the sea, in chemicals to kill parasitic lice.
They are also given a protein feed, created from small waste fish which can be contaminated with chemicals from the environment – including DDT and its by-products.
Fresh salmon sold in five major supermarkets was found to contain trace levels of pesticide DDT
Trace levels of these chemicals were found in fish sold by Waitrose, Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and Iceland. DDT was banned for use almost 30 years ago because of its risk to human health.
A recently published study suggested a link between DDT, an associated by-product compound called pp-DDE and Alzheimer’s disease in the elderly.
Official studies show farmed salmon is more likely to carry traces of chemical pesticides than any other food type.
The Pesticides Residues Monitoring Programme, which is overseen by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), tested farmed salmon and trout sold in the supermarkets.
The figures from 2013, which have just been released through a Freedom of Information Act request, found the pesticides pp-DDE, Dieldrin and Cypermethrin, as well as other chemicals, in fish sold by supermarkets.
Dieldrin, a powerful pesticide, was banned in the 1970s.
It has been linked to health problems such as Parkinson’s, breast cancer, and immune, reproductive, and nervous system damage.
Cypermethrin is a pesticide used on farmed salmon to kill off lice that live on the captive fish.
The results revealed two samples of rainbow trout fillets from the UK sold by Morrisons tested positive for Dieldrin, while salmon sold by Iceland also tested positive. Tesco Everyday Value salmon fillets from Norway were found to contain traces of pp-DDE.
The production process of salmon involves covering the fish in chemicals to kill parasitic lice. The creatures are also given a protein feed which can be contaminated with chemicals from the environment – including DDT and its by-products
The chemicals accumulate in the fat of the fish. Salmon which is farmed is far fattier than the wild fish and therefore more likely to carry chemical traces.
The details were revealed by Don Staniford, Director of the Global Alliance Against Industrial Aquaculture, who is a long standing critic of fish farms.
He said: ‘Farmed salmon is the most contaminated food on the supermarket shelf. It should carry a Government health warning.
‘Salmon farmers can decontaminate fish feed – this has been known for decades but the industry has refused to take action.’
Government experts have ruled that the chemical levels are so low as to not pose a risk, say the HSE.
The HSE added that it ‘does detect and report occasional residues of substances used to control lice on fish. When used for this purpose these substances are regulated as veterinary medicines.’
The British Retail Consortium, which speaks for food stores, said: ‘The HSE has confirmed the microscopic residues present no issues for consumers.
‘The chemical banned since the 1980s is still present in minute levels in the environment and the survey is to assess the levels present.’
Source: Daily Mail
- Alternative ADHD Treatment: Chinese Herbs Saturday March 08th, 2014
There are numerous alternative treatments for ADHD – some more effective than others. Chinese herbal medicine has roots that go back thousands of years.
Surprisingly enough, when modern studies test many of the traditional Chinese herbs used to treat ADHD and other medical conditions, the studies find that the Chinese treatment methods are highly effective at treating the condition they are designed to cure.
Find out how the following six Chinese herbs are beneficial in treating both children and adults with ADHD:
Thorowax root
Thorowax root has cell-stimulating, anti-inflammatory, and sedative effects. When used to treat ADHD, the sedative effects of the herbs can help control impulsive behavior and prevent hyperactivity. The sedative effects are extremely mild, and provide just enough sedation to benefit ADHD – not remove all personality from the child or adult taking the herb.
Oriental ginseng
Ginseng is an herb known for its concentration-boosting effects, which is why many memory-boosting supplements contain ginseng. Ginseng also increases endurance and relieves stress. The herb is known for its ability to improve oxygen flow to the brain, which encourages normal brain development. As some children with ADHD have a developmental delay of about three years, this is an effective herb for treating ADHD.
Skullcap root
Skullcap root is an herb that protects the nervous system. In many children with ADHD, the balance of the chemicals in the brain controlling the nervous system is off. Skullcap root can help retain the normal balance of chemicals in the brain. Skullcap root is particularly helpful for preventing hyperactivity and calming the nerves.
Red jujube
The jujube has many helpful properties, but for ADHD, the herb is more effective for calming the nerves and mind and creating a peaceful effect in the body.
Ginkgo biloba
Ginkgo biloba is an herb that is known for its ability to boost cognitive function in the brain. Ginkgo increases the amine neurotransmitter substances in the brain, which helps counteract some of the chemical deficiencies often seen in children with ADHD. Ginkgo can calm the mind and promote a peaceful spirit.
Poria
Poria has many benefits, including improving digestion and soothing the nerves. Many children with ADHD have poor digestion, and supplementing with poria can improve the health of the intestines and promote the elimination of toxins that can contribute to ADHD symptoms.
Chinese herbs in scientific studies
The theory behind Chinese herbs for ADHD sound beneficial, but without scientific backing, it is all postulation. However, several studies have looked at Chinese herbs and how they can benefit ADHD.
In 1990, the Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou College of TCM looked at 100 children with ADHD. Eighty children were given Chinese herbs. At the end of the three-month study, 23 children were completely symptom free, 46 children showed significant improvement, and 10 had higher IQ scores.
In 1994, the Shaanxi College of Traditional Chinese Medicine examined 66 children with ADHD. The children were given Chinese herbs to help control their ADHD symptoms. Eighty-give percent of the children who took the Chinese herbs had improvements in symptoms.
The Affiliated Hospital of Shandong College of TCM looked at another group of children with ADHD in 1995. This time, the children took liquid Chinese herbs. The effectiveness rate of the herbs was 94 percent.
Chinese herbs for ADHD
If you are looking for alternatives to Ritalin and other ADHD medications, Chinese herbs could be a viable option. Before reaching for traditional medicines, give Chinese herbs a try.
Sources for this article include:
www.naturalnews.com
www.chineseherbshealing.com
www.aompress.com
www.chineseherbshealing.com
science.naturalnews.com
science.naturalnews.com
www.progressivehealth.com
- Cannabis CAN reduce anxiety levels – but only in small doses Saturday March 08th, 2014
Researchers discovered brain receptors through which the drug works
These are in the amygdala – the part of the brain that regulates anxiety
In the short term, the drug works through these receptors to reduce anxiety
But, excessive use of the drug reduces the effectiveness of the receptorsMeans anxiety increases and more cannabis is required for calming effect
Smoking cannabis really does reduce anxiety, researchers have discovered.
U.S. scientists found marijuana regulates both anxiety and the body’s fight-or-flight response.
They say their findings lend credence to the claims of some users of the drug who believe it reduces their anxiety levels.
Smoking cannabis really does have a calming effect, new research has revealed – but only in small doses
However, this contradicts previous research which has linked the drug to anxiety, depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorders.
Researchers at Vanderbilt University, in Tennessee, discovered there are receptors through which marijuana can exert its effects in a key emotional hub in the brain.
They say these cannabinoid receptors can be identified in the amygdala in mice.
The amygdala is the part of the brain that is involved in regulating anxiety and the fight-or-flight response.
The study, which was led by Dr Sachin Patel and published in the journal Neuron, also showed for the first time how nerve cells in this part of the brain make and release their own natural ‘endocannabinoids’.
The natural endocannabinoid system regulates anxiety and the response to stress by dampening signals in the brain.
Marijuana regulates both anxiety and the body’s fight-or-flight response
It was previously known that when a person is exposed to chronic stress, or severe emotional trauma, there can be a reduction in the production of natural endocannabinoids.
When this happens, anxiety levels tend to increase.
Smoking marijuana can reduce this anxiety because the effect of its cannabinoids on the cannabinoid receptors makes up for the reduction in the production of natural endocannabinoids.
However, chronic use of the drug can, paradoxically, increase anxiety as the drug reduces the efficiency of the brains’ cannabinoid receptors.
This can trigger a vicious cycle that can leave people addicted to the drug.
Dr Patel said the study ‘could be highly important for understanding how cannabis exerts its behavioural effects’.
He added: ‘We know where the receptors are, we know their function, we know how these neurons make their own cannabinoids.
‘Now can we see how that system is affected by … stress and chronic [marijuana] use. It might fundamentally change our understanding of cellular communication in the amygdala.’
Source: Daily Mail
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