According to a new investigation conducted by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over-the-counter cough and cold medications can be harmful, even deadly, to children under two years old. Medications containing pseudoephedrine have never been shown to have any beneficial effect on children less than 2 years of age and are linked to hundreds of emergency room visits each year.

A novel New Zealand study examined the association between fast food and asthma in children. Researchers discovered that the more fast-food consumed (hamburgers and deep-fried foods) the higher the incidence of asthmatic signs and symptoms.  The authors note that several other studies have noted similar associations. For example, fast food was also a risk factor for wheezing among children in Saudi Arabia, and deep-fried food consumption doubled the risk of asthma among teenagers in Taiwan. They also note that other studies have shown that children who consumed fresh fruit five to seven times a week compared with less than once a week had less wheezing, and that Australian children who ate oily fish high in omega-3 fats also had a reduced risk of asthma.

Warfarin, best known as Coumadin, is an anticoagulant used to thin the blood and prevent strokes. However, the rate of cerebral hemorrhage associated with use of this drug quintupled during the 1990s and increased more than tenfold in those over the age of 80. Researchers from the University of Cincinnati suggest patients should weigh the beneficial effects of Warfarin in preventing ischemic strokes with the risks for intracerebral hemorrhage.

Two infallible ways to make vitamin C work against a head cold. In Pauling's HOW TO LIVE LONGER it is mentioned that vitamin C introduced in solution up the nasal passage is 1000 times more concentrated in the sinuses than vitamin C ingested by mouth. Using this idea create a vitamin C saline solution with 4 Grams of vitamin C. Empty a nasal spray bottle and wash out thoroughly with distilled water. Refill it with the 4 g vitamin C (ascorbate acid) /saline solution. Begin spraying the Vitamin C concentrate mix up the nostrils, about every 20 minutes. Within 4 hours, symptoms should be vastly improved or gone completely. If the 1000 times report is accurate, then 4 g (4000 mg) X 1000 equals 4 million "units" of vitamin C (equivalent of 4 million mg by mouth). The second method (unnecessary if the first method is used) is to take 8 grams of vitamin C every half hour by mouth until symptoms are gone. The earlier these protocols are started, the quicker relief can be had. --Vitamin C Cuts Cold Symptoms 85% - J Manipulative Physical Ther 1999
Oct;22(8):530-3

If your New Years resolution is to quit smoking here's a tip for you. You may have heard about offices in Japan circulating essential oils of Lemon, Peppermint and Cypress through the air conditioning systems to keep office workers alert. Well, an interesting side effect, it seemed to reduce their urge to smoke.

Grape seed extract inhibits the growth of human colorectal tumor cells in the lab and in mice, researchers recently reported. Administration of three concentrations of grape seed extract to human colorectal cancer cell lines in culture produced an inhibition of cell growth that increased with the concentration and time exposed to grape seed extract. There was also an increase in programmed cancer cell death (apoptosis). Grape seed increased the availability of a protein that halts cancer cell replication, while decreasing several proteins that encourage cell division.

Taking prescription heartburn drugs for a year or more can raise the risk of a broken hip markedly in people over 50. Heartburn drugs such as Nexium, Prevacid or Prilosec reduce acid in the stomach and make it difficult for the body to absorb bone building calcium, which can lead to weaker bones and fractures. Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec are members of a class of drugs known as proton pump inhibitors. A smaller risk of hip fractures was also found in drugs called H2 blockers including Tagamet and Pepcid.

A Florida resident, backed by consumer group Center For Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), recently filed a lawsuit against Kraft Foods for marketing its Capri Sun fruit drink as "all natural" despite the presence of high-fructose corn syrup. According to the lawsuit, Kraft is tricking consumers into purchasing Capri Sun by marketing it as "all natural," though the CSPI said the drink was "almost juice-less."

Aspartame is currently used in over 6,000 processed foods in this country, practically everything that passes itself off as a "lite" or "nonfat" food or drink.  Read labels carefully if you are concerned about this poison.

We have seen it coming for a long time. Wealthy and politically influential pharmaceutical corporations, which market reactive drugs and vaccines, want to shut down free speech on the internet so they can hide the dangers of their products from the public. Right now, pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly is in federal court trying to prevent non- profit health advocacy groups from posting documents on their websites which suggest that Lilly hid or downplayed the dangerous side effects of the antipsychotic drug, Zyprexa, from doctors and patients. Lilly is trying to set a legal precedent that the information communicated on the internet by private citizens and advocacy websites based in the U.S. should be exempt from freedom of speech protections guaranteed under the U.S. Constitution, which have historically protected freedom of the press in the U.S. Apparently Lilly would like to pave the way for corporations (and perhaps government agencies?) with something to hide to prevent citizens from talking about what they know on the internet.

 “He who does not use his endeavors to heal himself is a brother to him who commits suicide."
Proverbs 18:9 (Amplified)