· Parkinson's isn't just an old person's disease: A growing number of Americans are diagnosed before age 50, and their illness seems biologically somewhat different from the version that strikes seniors.

· Statin drugs, which promise to reduce the levels of bad (LDL) cholesterol in the body while improving the levels of good (HDL) cholesterol, are the fastest-growing class of prescription drugs in the world, but increasing evidence shows they may not be safe, and Canadian health officials are warning that statins can cause serious muscle damage.

· Previous studies have shown that listening to 45 minutes of soft music before bed can improve sleep by more than one third. More recently, a study reported in the Journal of Advanced Nursing showed that listening to music for an hour per day for just one week lessened chronic pain by up to 21 percent and cut depression by up to 25 percent. Listeners also said they felt more in control of their pain and less disabled by their condition.

· Researchers in Malaysia found that cinnamon can lower blood sugar levels in people with Type II diabetes. This finding backs up previous research, which has shown that cinnamon extract mimics insulin action in cells. And a USDA study involving 60 Type II diabetics showed that 1 gram of cinnamon daily can improve the management of blood sugar levels, triglyceride levels, and cholesterol levels. (One gram of cinnamon is less than half a teaspoon.)

· 98% Of Western Europe Has Rejected Water Fluoridation. This includes Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. The predominant reason for Europe's rejection is the belief that public drinking water is NOT the appropriate vehicle with which to deliver medication to a population. India, and Japan have either rejected or banned its use in recent years.

· Vaccine Radio Warning: According to the EPA, a person must weigh over 500 pounds to safely process the amount of mercury still present in certain vaccines, including flu shots. And, yet, these shots are recommended for pregnant women and infants..." That's how this awesome 60-second public service announcement about the dangers of mercury in vaccines grabs your attention at the start, and never lets go.

· Depression is the most common disease in the world. At least 40% of Americans are clinically depressed and 20% are on antidepressants. Interestingly, a huge number of individuals on antidepressant drugs are still depressed!  The BEST antidepressant drug is reported in the PHYSICIAN'S DESK REFERENCE as 42% effective, with a minimum of 25% of patients having significant complications.

· The effectiveness of sunscreens in preventing skin cancers and aging has long been questioned. And now, the doubts have gone a step ahead to take the form of a lawsuit against popular sunscreen brands like Coppertone, Hawaiian Tropic, Banana Boat, Bull Frog and Neutrogena. The lawsuit, a class action suit filed by 10 Californians in the California Superior Court, asserts that the sun products offer protection only against UVB rays and not the more harmful UVA rays which are behind skin cancers and sun-related skin damage. It also accuses of makers of misleading consumers with tall claims.

· Complications from non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or NSAID, have been linked to 103,000 hospitalizations and more than 16,000 deaths per year in the US, according to a study published in the American Journal of Therapeutics. A lack of information, experts say, is the root cause of the lack of concern over the health risks associated with NSAIDs. A report in the January 16, 2005, Science Daily said: "More people die each year from NSAIDs-related complications than from AIDS and cervical cancer in the United States."

· Unilever is seeking approval of a genetically modified (GM) (FAQ on genetic engineering) ice-structuring protein derived from a polar fish, ocean pout, for use in making ice cream smoother and creamier. The GM protein is produced in transgenic bakers' yeast. Ice-structuring, or antifreeze protein protects the ocean pout in freezing waters by preventing large ice crystals forming; in ice cream and other frozen food it would have the same effect. It is worth pointing out that the transgenic protein is already used in ice cream in the USA, Australia and New Zealand, and that ice cream has not been labeled, so any problems resulting from its use may go unrecognized.

· Out of over 100 soft drinks and other beverages analyzed by the government, five contained levels of benzene -- a cancer-causing chemical linked to leukemia -- that exceed federal standards set for benzene in drinking water, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The five drinks that contained excessive benzene levels were: Safeway Select Diet Orange, Crush Pineapple, AquaCal Strawberry Flavored Water Beverage, Crystal Light Sunrise Classic Orange and Giant Light Cranberry Juice Cocktail.

· THE PHYTOESTROGEN HOAX - Don't fall for this one. We've all heard the claims about soy being great for women approaching menopause because it adds a safe level of "natural" estrogen, preventing osteoporosis, etc. Isoflavones - the supposed magic ingredient - you've seen the ads. All that is known for sure is that Round-Up raises the levels of isoflavones in the soybean. The advertisers have made the incredibly brash assumption that increase in phytoestrogens is desirable. For one thing, having come from a GM plant, isoflavones are definitely not natural. Moreover, the amount of increase may well be pathological - it's never been studied. Infants have been shown to have their phytoestrogen levels raised from 13,000 to 22,000 times the normal blood levels of estrogen through ingestion of phytoestrogens and other estrogen mimickers! High levels of these estrogens can promote sex organ malformation, organic tumors, and menstrual disruption. (HRT) The fact is, these possibilities have never been ruled out by scientific studies before promoting soy milk for infants. Or for menopausal women. It's unsubstantiated marketing hype. The consumer is the experiment.