HIV/AIDS

just got this email - so I am passing it on to you:

John Parsons
Dr John's Health File


Hello John,

Did you know that 25% of all new HIV infections in the U.S. occur among teens 12-19
years of age (CDC, Atlanta)? Or that 50% of all new HIV infections globally are
among youth 15-24 year olds (UNAIDS, Geneva)?

These shocking statistics prompted TeenAIDS-PeerCorp, an international non-profit,
to sponsor their first-ever "Webathon", which uses social media to educate teens
around the world about HIV/AIDS prevention.

Unlike traditional telethons and webathons that focus on raising funds, the sole
purpose of the TeenAIDS Webathon is to educate vulnerable youth, the majority of
whom are sexually active by age sixteen. Young people are being encouraged to
spread life-saving HIV prevention information by pledging to communicate with
friends and peers using the social media of their choice. They post or forward short
educational alerts and then report the total number of youth contacted to the
Webathon's website: www.teenaids.org. The goal is one million pledges by March 31,
2011.

Dr. Chittick, founder of TeenAids-PeerCorp, explained, "Social media has the ability
to connect an entire generation on issues of critical importance (such as protecting
friends from HIV/AIDS) before it is too late. This kind of grassroots outreach on a
global scale would have been impossible ten years ago. Now it is the model for all
future humanitarian campaigns involving youth, and it involves virtually no cost."

The Webathon is the main feature of TeenAIDS' fifth annual Global Webcast that will
be seen on World AIDS Day-Wednesday, December 1. The three-hour Webathon begins at
11 AM (EST / GMT-5). It will be repeated at 3 PM and archived on their
website-http://www.teenaids.org/- for continuous viewing.

Currently no vaccine exists to prevent HIV infection and although some palliative
medicines are available to help those living with AIDS, a cure is still years away.

"Peer-to-peer communication is the most effective prevention tool to combat HIV/AIDS
and youth volunteers are the best messengers," Dr. Chittick said. "With school
health budgets cut to the bone in these tough economic times, it is up to teens to
take the campaign into their own hands - literally, using the social media tools at
their fingertips."Chittick credited hundreds of youth volunteers for creating a vast
network. He also credited major business support for making the Global Webathon and
Webcast possible: Onstream Media of Pompano Beach, Florida for global webcast
facilities; MotionOne Studios of Virginia Beach, Virginia for the studio;
DCIteleport for additional satellite time and Newman Communications of Allston,
Massachusetts for major PR.

Dr. Chittick, a former lecturer on AIDS at Harvard, recently concluded a ten-year
Global AIDS Walk to 85 countries that trained 350,000 peer outreach volunteers.

Please let me know if you would like more information about TeenAIDS-Corps Webathon
or to speak with Dr. John Chittick.

Any support is appreciated.

All the best,
Megan

BodyTalk

I have recently qualified as a BodyTalk Access Technician.

www.bodytalkaccess.com

Ayurveda and Piles (Hemorrhoids)

Piles, also known as 'Arsha' in Ayurveda, is a painful health condition that causes formation of small blood vessels in the anal canal. The root causes of piles are constipation, obesity, stress, sitting too long, genetic factors or during pregnancy. Symptoms of piles mainly include bleeding, intense pain during stool passage, and itching in the rectal region

There are many healing options in Ayurveda for piles:

* Haritaki or terminalia chebula (one of the ingredients of 'Triphala') and jimikand or amorphophallus campanulatus are two most significant and natural herbs that are beneficial for treating piles.
* Cut down potato from your diet as eating potato will aggravate the condition.

* Avoid yellow variety of pumpkins.
* Eat more of fruits, vegetables and seeds such as Java Plum (Black berry) fruits, dry figs, Indian gooseberry ('amla' available in Maharishi Amrit Kalesh), papaya, radish, bitter gourd, turnip, onion, rice, wheat, mango seeds and sesame seeds.
* Ensure that your intestine is clean. Drink plenty of water to flush out toxins from the intestine.
* Avoid relaxing on stiff chairs and hard seats.
* Avoid horse riding.
* Physical activity is equally important in treating piles.
* You can also try yoga exercises. Cobra pose and bow pose are the best yoga poses for treating piles.

unfavorable results from back surgery

MSNBC: Back Surgery May Backfire for Back Pain Patients
October 18, 2010 15:49 by juliecoxcid



MSNBC reports on the statistics of back surgery which aren't all that favorable: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39658423/ns/health-pain_center

1. 600,000 Americans choose back surgery
2. 1450 Ohio Work Comp back pain patients with similar diagnoses:
* 1/2 had surgery with fusion - At 2 years, 26% returned to work...plus a 41% increase in pain killer use.
* 1/2 did not have surgery - At 2 years, 67% returned to work.
3. 2007 Agency for Health Care Policy and Reform reports
* 27 million Americans with back problems
* $30.3 million spent on back pain.
* PT, pain management, chiropractic, spine surgeries (which makes up the most)
4. complicated spine surgeries with fusion - 8 times increase in 15 years
5. "Even when the surgery is a success, it rarely dispels 100 percent of back pain."

25000 dying

"It is estimated that up to 25,000 people die from hospital acquired blood clots in the UK each year,"
thats a lot of people!

taking the mickey

Mickey Mouse has hired a private detective to follow Minnie. The detective is delivering a report on her activities to Mickey: "Well, Mr. Mouse, I've been following your wife for a week or so, but I can't find any evidence that she's crazy."

"Crazy?!" shouts Mickey, "Who told you she was crazy?"

The detective says, "You did, Mr. Mouse, when you hired me."

Mickey says, "I didn't say she was crazy — I said she was fucking Goofy!"

"Military occupation causes suicide terrorism!"

Robert Pape, a University of Chicago political science professor and
former Air Force lecturer, will present findings on Capitol Hill on Tuesday that
argue that the majority of suicide terrorism around the world since 1980 has had
a common cause: military occupation.

Pape and his team of researchers draw on data produced by a six-year study of
suicide terrorist attacks around the world that was partially funded by the
Defense Department's Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

They have compiled the terrorism statistics in a publicly available database
comprising some 10,000 records on some 2,200 suicide terrorism attacks, dating
back to the first suicide terrorism attack of modern times — the 1983 truck
bombing of the U.S. Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, which killed 241 U.S.
Marines.

"We have lots of evidence now that when you put the foreign military presence
in, it triggers suicide terrorism campaigns, ... and that when the foreign
forces leave, it takes away almost 100 percent of the terrorist campaign," Pape
said in an interview last week on his findings.

Clash drummer now a chiropractor!

So, what do you do next after you've been in one of the most celebrated bands on the planet? Become a chiropractor, of course!

Terry Chimes, drummer with the Clash, played all of the biggest stadiums. He has had Bob Dylan, Jack Nicholson and Eddie Murphy coming backstage to pay him tribute. Rolling Stone magazine places his records in the top 10 of all time.

But now, Terry has become a chiropractor in Essex, England and his stage appearances are now limited to motivational seminars for doctors.

"I felt it was time to completely change - and over the time I'd been a musician, I'd already become a non-drinking, non-smoking, non-drug-taking vegetarian who does yoga."

And that's not mentioning the triathlons.

"People say how can you prefer treating patients to being on stage in front of 100,000 people? But if you can get someone healthy, there's a satisfaction in that which is much more profound."

vitamin d - why you need sunlight

Sunlight’s good for your skin and critical to your overall health and well-being.
Get enough of it, and you’ll actually reduce your risk for a wide range of cancers. What sunscreens are very good at is blocking UVA rays. Yet even that presents a problem, because your skin needs exposure to UVA rays to make vitamin D.
That’s a huge problem, because vitamin D is a vitally important nutrient that insures healthy function in just about every system in your body.

Vitamin D’s also the most potent cancer fighter in the world. A report came out of a Nebraska university showing that vitamin D has the potential to lower the risk of all cancers in women over 50 by 77 percent. 1 And in a study published in the journal Anticancer Research last October researchers found that sunlight – about 20 minutes a day for fair-skinned people, and two to four times that much for those with dark skin – can reduce the risk of death from 16 types of cancer, in both men and women. Sunscreens rob you of all these health benefits.

democrats and republicans

A woman in a hot air balloon realized she was lost. She lowered her altitude and spotted a man in a boat below. She shouted to him, "Excuse me, can you help me? I promised a friend I would meet him an hour ago, but I don't know where I am."

The man consulted his portable GPS and replied, "You're in a hot air balloon, approximately 30 feet above ground elevation of 2,346 feet above sea level. You are at 31 degrees, 14.97 minutes north latitude and 100 degrees, 49.09 minutes west longitude.

"She rolled her eyes and said, "You must be an Obama Democrat."

"I am,"replied the man. "How did you know?"

"Well," answered the balloonist, "everything you told me is technically correct. But I have no idea what to do with your information, and I'm still lost. Frankly, you've not been much help to me."

The man smiled and responded, "You must be a Republican."

"I am," replied the balloonist. "How did you know?"

"Well," said the man, "you don't know where you are or where you are going. You've risen to where you are due to a large quantity of hot air. You made a promise you have no idea how to keep, and you expect me to solve your problem. You're in exactly the same position you were in before we met, but somehow, now it's my fault."

proof

think alternative therapies lack scientific research?
read this:
"The Office of Technology Assessment, a branch of the United States Congress, with the help of an advisory board of eminent university faculty, has published a report with the conclusion that, " only 10 to 20 percent of all procedures currently used in medical practice have been shown to be efficacious by controlled trial."
Therefore, 80% to 90% of medical procedures routinely performed are unproven.
That report further points out that the research which purports to prove effectiveness of the remaining 10% to 20% of medical procedures is largely flawed, and " . . many of the other procedures may not be efficacious."

ginger for pain

more useful info from Dr Al Sears MD:
As a doctor, I must warn you: Taking painkillers can have
dangerous – even deadly – side effects. Drugs such as Motrin,
Advil, Aleve, and other NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) have
been linked to kidney damage, anemia, heart palpitations, and
gastrointestinal hemorrhaging.

That'[s pretty scary stuff. Especially when you
consider that tens of millions of prescriptions (not to mention
over-the-counter drugs) are written for NSAIDs each year in the U.S. alone!


But today I want to recommend to you a painkiller that’s not
scary at all. In fact, you probably dont have to look beyond your
kitchen cabinet to find it.

I'm talking about ginger.

For centuries it's been used throughout Asia to treat joint
pain, colds, and even indigestion.
It can reduce pain in the muscles
and joints by as much as 25%.1

And taking raw and cooked ginger daily can be an effective pain
reliever – even for inflammatory conditions like
osteoarthritis.

That’s because inflammation is the root cause all kinds of
problems -from arthritis to back pain to muscle aches.

Ginger contains 12 different compounds that fight inflammation.
Some block the Cox-2 enzyme which triggers it. Some lower pain receptor and
nerve-ending sensitivity. Together they work almost the same as
anti-inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen and aspirin.

So, if you want to cut back on painkillers and avoid the harmful
side effects, supplement your diet with ginger.

Here are some ways to get your daily doses:

Stir fry food with it: It'll add an invigorating
taste to any meat and vegetable dish. Sprinkle some grated ginger on top
for even more great flavor.


Supplement: Most pharmacies or health food stores sell
ginger powder in pills or capsules. Look for an extract with 5%
gingerols.


Use a ginger compress on painful areas: It’ll
stimulate blood flow and ease achy joints.


Drink ginger tea: It’s cheap. It's easy. It
tastes great. And it heals. Here's a recipe I use:


Ingredients

water, 4 cups
2-inch piece of fresh ginger root
optional: honey and lemon slice

dangers of high fructose corn syrup

High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is an inexpensive sugar that has essentially replaced cane sugar in almost all processed foods over the last 30 years. It’s no coincidence that diabetes and obesity have increased by over 150% during the same time period. It is my belief that the introduction of HFCS into the western diet has had a direct causative effect on the dramatic increased incidence of these two killers. Here is what Dr. Joseph Mercola has to say about HFCS:

“In case you forgot, or never knew in the first place, the number one source of calories in the US is high fructose corn syrup. Let me say that in different words so you more fully appreciate the impact of this fact. Remember that fat has 250% more calories than sugar, but even with this major disadvantage, the food that most people get MOST of their calories from is sugar from corn, primarily in the form of soft drinks.

Even though I have known this for years, it is still shocking to me every time I reflect on the enormity of this truth. But, like W. Clement Stone, I believe that there is a nugget of good in this horrible fact. The good is that stopping this pernicious habit is one of the easiest things to do. Since this is such a pervasive problem in the US, we could make radically outrageous improvements in our health as a culture if we just simply stopped everyone from drinking soda.

I am HIGHLY confident that the health improvement would be FAR more profound than if everyone stopped smoking because elevated insulin levels are the foundation of nearly every chronic disease known to man, cancer, heart disease, diabetes, aging, arthritis, osteoporosis, you name it, and you will find elevated insulin levels as a primary factor. The evidence of increased triglycerides and LDL (bad) cholesterol levels is just the latest among countless findings pointing to the dangers in HFCS.

Part of what makes HFCS such an unhealthy product is that it is metabolized to fat in your body far more rapidly than any other sugar, and, because most fructose is consumed in liquid form, its negative effects are significantly magnified.

 The delusion that fructose is an acceptable form of sugar is quite prevalent in many nutritional circles. In fact, nearly all simple sugars are metabolized quickly and disrupt insulin levels, which contributes to most chronic illness. Eating small amounts of whole fruit will not provide tremendous amounts of fructose and should not be a problem for most people, unless diabetes or obesity is an issue but fruit juices, sodas and other beverages sweetened with fructose should be avoided.

To add insult to injury, the corn that the high fructose corn syrup is metabolized from nearly all comes from genetically modified corn which is fraught with its own well documented side effects and health concerns.

Sodas, of course, are not the only source of HFCS (though they represent one of the main ones). This dangerous sweetener is also in many processed foods and fruit juices, so to avoid it you need to focus your diet on whole foods and, if you do purchase packaged foods, become an avid label reader!