50% off sale at Doie!

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Get 'em for 50% off with the code DAILY08.

www.doiedesigns.com

Win a Free Copy of Somebody's Daughter at The Opinionated Parent

Fresh from the writers' conference, I have books on my mind. Nicely coincidentally, The Opinionated Parent ran a review of Somebody's Daughter--and you can win a free copy of it just by commenting! Check it out here.

Do American birds taste funny because we chlorinate them?

I'm baa--aack.

We were fed by Aramark, which a colleague described as the "Blackwater of caterers." This friend goes to a lot of different writers' conferences and says that the food, whether in Vermont, Tennessee, Ohio, etc., is always the same soylent-greenesque plasma. People actually thought I was vegetarian, as in my zeal to avoid MSG, nitrates, mad cow, bad tasting meat, I pretty much stuff to the salad bad hummus (metabisulphates, probably) and salad (pesticides, but oh well). So MAN FERTILITY sent me this tidbit from Slate. I know they already feed chickens arsenic, antiobiotics, other chickens, but chlorine??

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Funky Chicken: Do American birds taste funny because we chlorinate them?

By Nina Shen Rastogi
Posted Monday, July 28, 2008, at 6:58 PM ET


Barack Obama was vague about key trade issues during his recent trip to Europe, according to an analysis published in Friday's New York Times. The article referred specifically to the 11-year European ban on importing chlorinated chickens from the United States, a sanction that "is less about safety than about taste." Does chlorine really make our chickens taste funky?

read more here.

Farmer Jane is going South

A little break for GreenFertility; I'm headed to the Sewanee Writers' Conference. And you can see even though we have a super dinky yard, we cram a lot of food into it. (oops, Blogger's down, but if I can upload the photos of our two raised beds, I will).

MAN FERTILITY, I trust will continue to water and compost!

Wear your watch on your RIGHT wrist to help your heart

[p.s. I fixed this to reflect some copyright laws I wasn't aware of]

After that post on how metals on your body can do weird things to you, I stopped wearing my watch and have forgotten to put it on. What's odd is that I feel different. Not better/worse, but different. But I always instinctively take the watch off when I meditate, etc. I'm very sensitive to energy. So check this out:

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Author: Victoria Anisman-Reiner
Published: Apr 4, 2007

If you’re right-handed, you probably wear a watch on your left wrist. You might consider switching, however, when you consider the impact that your watch’s battery can have on the health of your heart meridian and, ultimately, on your heart.

...Wearing any piece of jewelry for long can bring on fatigue or have the opposite effect and make the wearer over-energized. Some people are so sensitive that they have to remove earrings or other jewelry after only a few minutes, because the metal charges with their energy and begins to affect the way they feel.

read more here.

Big belly = bad sperm!

Stop genetic damage before it happens--maintain an ideal weight!
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By MARIA CHENG, AP Medical Writer Wed Jul 9, 12:14 PM ET
BARCELONA, Spain - Too many fatty foods are dangerous not only to men's waistlines, but to their sperm production.

In research presented Wednesday at a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, scientists found that obese men have worse sperm than normal-weight men.

"There is a very long list of health hazards from being overweight," said Ghiyath Shayeb, the study's lead researcher at the University of Aberdeen. "Now we can add poor semen quality to the list."

But experts aren't sure if that necessarily means obese men face major difficulties having children.

"If you have a man who isn't fantastically fertile with a normal partner who is fertile, her fertility will compensate," said Dr. William Ledger, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Britain's University of Sheffield, who was unconnected to the study.

But if both partners are heavy, Ledger said that could be a problem, since obesity is known to decrease women's fertility.

Shayeb and colleagues analyzed the sperm samples of more than 5,000 men in Scotland, and divided the men into groups according to their Body Mass Index. Men who had an optimal BMI (20 to 25) had higher levels of normal sperm than those who were overweight or obese.

Fat men had a 60 percent higher chance of having a low volume of semen, according to Shayeb's research. They also had a 40 percent higher chance of having some sperm abnormalities.

Shayeb and colleagues found that underweight men were just as likely to have the same problems as obese men. "But there were not many underweight men in Scotland," he noted.

The researchers adjusted their analysis to account for other factors that could have affected men's sperm count, like smoking, alcohol intake, history of drug abuse, and age.

"Male fitness and health are clearly linked to a man's fertility," said Neil McClure, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Queen's University in Belfast.

The study supported results of an earlier sperm study done by doctors at hospitals and universities in Denmark.

There are several theories about why obese men might have bad sperm. Because fat tissue influences the metabolism of sex hormones, scientists think it might also disrupt sperm production.

It could also be a temperature problem. Sperm is best produced at a temperature two degrees cooler than normal body temperature. But because obese men have more fat, Shayeb said their bodies might be overheated.

Another study presented at the conference concluded that diabetes in men damages their sperm and is linked to male infertility.

Con Mallidis and colleagues at Queen's University in Belfast examined semen samples from nearly 40 men who were being treated for diabetes, but were not overweight. They found significant DNA damage linked to the excess sugar in the body from diabetes.

They found that diabetic men had twice the rate of DNA damage in their sperm as men without diabetes.

American Academy Of Pediatrics: Put 'em on Drugs!

I am aware that doctors really hate it when patients look to empower themselves by looking up stuff on the internet, but right here, right now, I have to say the American Academy of Pediatrics is WACKED. Putting 8-year olds on cholesterol lowering drugs when it already seems like this drugs may be harming ADULTS?

When we first had J, because MAN FERTILITY and I had no clue about how to raise a kid, we took every word from our pedi as the gospel truth. Now I question everything the AAP says and does (hello, ridiculous vaccine schedule, anyone?), and I urge you to, too.

p.s. our pedi hinted I was a hysterical mom when I insisted there was something wrong with J. Turned out it was his spinal cord tumor that almost paralyzed him. Needless to say, she is our ex-pediatrician. She never apologized for that and other major screwups. I hate feeling like I have to practically spend as much time studying biology, etc., as she did for a career that makes her $$$, thus, the Fertility Bitch. But what are you going to do to protect yourself and your loved ones? I am grateful to have the resources of the science library here at Brown.

p.s. if you have a child with autism/vaccine damage, check out this site: www.reversingautism.org. This is run by a person who is doing some original thinking to help her own kids--and mine--in the gentlest way possible.

From the New York Times:

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8 Year olds on Statins?

By TARA PARKER-POPE

Cholesterol drugs for 8-year-olds?

This aggressive new recommendation for warding off heart disease in some children has stirred a furious debate among pediatricians since the American Academy of Pediatrics issued it on Monday.

While some doctors applauded the idea, others were incredulous. In particular, these doctors called attention to a lack of evidence that the use of the cholesterol-lowering drugs, called statins, in children would prevent heart attacks later in life.

“What are the data that show this is helpful preventing heart attacks?” asked Dr. Darshak Sanghavi, a pediatric cardiologist and assistant professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. “How many heart attacks do we hope to prevent this way? There’s no data regarding that.”

Nor, Dr. Sanghavi added, are there data on the possible side effects of taking statins for 40 or 50 years. [ahhh, but think of the revenue!]

Other doctors said the recommendation would distract from common-sense changes in diet and exercise, which are also part of the new guidelines.

“To be frank, I’m embarrassed for the A.A.P. today,” said Dr. Lawrence Rosen of Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, vice chairman of an academy panel on traditional and alternative medicine. He added: “Treatment with medications in the absence of any clear data? I hope they’re ready for the public backlash.”

Doctors who sat on the academy’s committee on nutrition, which issued the guidelines, agree there are no long-term data on statin use in children. But they say there are adequate safety data to justify the recommendations. One statin, Pravachol, has already been approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use in children as young as 8.

read more here.

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USERNAME: GreenFertility
PASSWORD: GreenFertility

Metal earrings and tooth fillings 'cause chronic back pain'

My father, an acupuncturist, was SOOOOO against me getting my ears pierced. So I waited until I was in college. It was kin dof a yucky process (and now my students have multiple piercings, eeek). The good thing is that when I was training for my black belt in Korea, I was working out 2x/day and didn't wear earrings at all because I'd have to take them out. So guess what, the holes closed. Now, clip ons are good enough for me.

Best not to fool with Mother Nature...

From the UK's Daily Mail:

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Metal earrings and tooth fillings could be the cause of chronic back pain, experts claimed last night.

Pieces of metal that pierce or even just touch the skin could be setting off a massive chain reaction in the body, sending hundreds of muscles out of alignment.

And even the smallest bits of metal - such as tooth fillings - could be the cause of major agony in muscles far away.

Experts say the nervous system automatically tries to move body parts away from metal objects because they are uncomfortable to the skin that surrounds them.

The muscles used in that movement will then place strain on other, larger muscles as they constantly try to maintain a distance.

The result, according to a growing school of thought, is whole body stresses that cannot be cured by any amount of rest, exercise or nutrition.

However, experts say the good news is that something as simple as removing jewellery or having a metal filling replaced with an acrylic one could be all that is needed to end years of agony.

Chiropractor Simon King is one of around 250 professionals who are telling patients that the answer to their chronic back pain could be very straight-forward indeed.

"I've always been fascinated and confused that some people with massive injuries made a quick recovery while others with minor strains took forever to get better," he said.

"Then I made a remarkable discovery. Most patients who struggled to recover from pain or injury had metal touching or piercing their skin."

Mr King says earrings are a common cause of back and neck pain, dentistry and jewellery such as necklaces and watches can cause pain and arthritis.

read more here.

Americans Wasting Food

With all the hunger around the world (think of the Haitians and their dirt biscuits), it's astounding to think we waste a pound of food per person per day. Yikes! My solution is growing some of our own food in our dinky backyard. With all the sweat that goes into growing things, I'm diving after every dropped lettuce leaf. Don't take your food for granted!

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By Inspired Protagonist - June 2, 2008

It's hard for most of us to imagine what it's like to go to sleep hungry, let alone to watch a child die slowly from starvation. We read the headlines about global food prices. We see charts that show how prices of corn, wheat, rice, and soybeans have more than doubled in the last year. And we watch pictures of food riots on the TV news. But it seems there's little that we can do to make things right.

Two years ago, I purchased a diesel car that I converted to run on vegetable oil. Even though I no longer own it, I wonder if my well-intended decision, which seemed so clear back then, makes any sense today?

Andrew Martin, of the New York Times -- one of my hiking companions on a recent trek through Costa Rica's rainforest -- did some research on how much of the food we grow ends up in the trash instead of on the dinner table. "As it turns out, Americans waste an astounding amount of food -- an estimated 27 percent of the food available for consumption, according to a government study -- and it happens at the supermarket, in restaurants and cafeterias, and in your very own kitchen. It works out to about a pound of food every day for every American.

Fireworks and Thyroid

I'm not a big fireworks person--the noise! I'm sensitive. But Mary Shomon from About.Com has another reason I migh tnot like them: My thyroid!
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As America gears up for the traditional Fourth of July fireworks displays, scientists are looking at ways to make fireworks more environmentally friendly, while minimizing potential health risks. Chemical & Engineering News has an interesting story, Pyrotechnics For The Planet, that focuses on the use of potassium perchlorate in fireworks, and the connection between perchlorate to thyroid problems. You can also read Roland Piquepaille's blog recap of the situation at ZDNet.

Also, learn more about how the thyroid is affected by perchlorate -- which is a byproduct of rocket and firework production that is contaminating water supplies around the nation.

_{Photo: clipart.com}

Don't Eat Rock Hard pears

Conceptually, eating food that's been picked in one place and shipped over ungodly distances already seems unappetizing. But there are also real nutritional factors involved (i.e., eat local when you can! plant a garden and fruit trees!)


From Realage.com
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We’ve all seen those hard-as-rock pears at the supermarket, picked well before their prime. Well, here’s a reason you might want to pass on them.

Or at least let them ripen on your kitchen counter before you bite. A pear (or an apple) at its peak offers something extra -- a special kind of antioxidant that only develops once it’s ripe.

Do It Ripe
We know fruits like apples and pears are chock-full of flavonoids. Now, research shows that when ripe, these fruits contain additional potent disease fighters: NCCs (short for nonfluorescent chlorophyll catabolites -- say that three times). As fruit ripens, chlorophyll breaks down and forms NCCs. And it turns out NCCs pack quite the antioxidant wallop!
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p.s. I'm not the hugest pear fan, but I do believe there are some sorts of pears that never get squishy, just the way there are several varieties of persimmon. Ask you friendly fruit seller.

Another bonus: pears don't feed yeast!

REVIEW: Living Nutz Wild Blueberry Lip Balm

The guys at LivingNutz sent me, along with some nutz (that I am going to review) this wild blueberry lip balm that I get a total kick out of because it reminds me of those gigantic fruit flavored Bonne Bell lip balms that we all used to have (any girls of the 80s out there??) in high school.

BUT, these are made from organic cold pressed hemp seed oil. Plus, the Nutz Guys prepare their our own infused oils with certified organic calendula in virgin olive oil (infused in low temps over several days), pure Maine beeswax, jojoba oil (lip balm only) and 100% pure essential oils or natural flavors.

So for a trip down an olfactory memory lane but with sustainability and organic-ness, try these!

Read more here.

Cloth to clean up the Mercury in your CFLs

Compact flourescent lights, CFLs have been a point of contention among some environmentalists including myself. I tell anyone who'll listen that CFL's aren't the BEST idea since they contain mercury and have a recycle rate of around 2%--which means 98% of them are getting broken, thrown into landfills, thereby releasing Hg into the air.

We use LEDs (light emitting diodes), which are more expensive, but the light is nicer, too.

Anyway, always love to see what those clever Brown students are up to: they invented a cloth to mop up the mercury after you break your CFL. Doesn't make me feel better about compact flourescents, but I admire their cleverness.

p.s. the secret mercury absorber is selenium--make sure you get enough in your diet! Brazil nuts are one of the natural sources with the highest amounts.

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Brown University researchers have discovered a nanomaterial that can absorb the mercury emitted from a broken compact fluorescent lamp (CFL). The researchers, led by Robert Hurt, professor of engineering, and engineering student Natalie Johnson, have created a mercury-absorbent container lining that can be used commercially. The packaging invention, for which Brown has applied for federal patents, would relieve a major concern with CFL use and comes as CFL sales are projected to skyrocket.

read more here.

Kids Connect Alcohol Odors with Mom’s Emotions

I've always believed that children, even in utero, pick up on their mother's emotions...so this is an interesting finding. From Newswise, the journalists'-only site:
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Newswise — How children respond to the smell of alcoholic beverages is related to their mothers’ reasons for drinking, according to a new study from the Monell Chemical Senses Center. When asked to smell both the odor of beer and an unpleasant odor and then indicate which they liked better, children of mothers classified as ‘Escape drinkers’ were more likely than children of Non-escape drinkers to select the unpleasant odor over beer.

“Children’s responses to odors provide us with a window into their emotions,” says study lead author Julie Mennella, PhD, a Monell biopsychologist. “When given a choice between beer and pyridine – the smell of rotten eggs – children of mothers who drink to relieve tension and worry choose pyridine as smelling better. That’s pretty powerful.”

In the study, which appears in the journal Alcohol, 145 children between the ages of 5 and 8 years were presented with seven pairs of odors. One of the odors was always beer; the others were bubblegum, chocolate, cola, coffee, green tea, pyridine, and cigarette smoke. For each pair, the children indicated which odor they liked better.

Mennella notes that because odor information travels directly to areas of the brain that deal with non-verbal aspects of emotion and memory, studying children’s responses to odors provides insights into their emotional worlds.

“Like adults, children are not very good at identifying odors,” she says. “However, they are good at telling us whether they like an odor or not. This study shows that whether they like the odor of beer depends not just on how often their mother drinks, but on why she drinks.”

The children’s mothers completed a questionnaire about their drinking habits, including their reasons for drinking; 35 were classified as ‘Escape drinkers,’ based on their indicating having at least two escape reasons for drinking. These included: helps to relax, need when tense and nervous, helps to cheer up when in a bad mood, helps to forget worries, and helps to forget everything.

Mothers’ reasons for drinking influenced how children responded to the odor of beer. Relative to children of Non-escape drinkers, children whose mothers were Escape drinkers showed greater dislike for the odor of beer, even when beer was compared with unpleasant odors such as pyridine and cigarette smoke.

See Salt, Sea Salt?

Regular table salt is probably not something you think about having weird stuff in, but think again! It can have dextrose, weird fillers, and gluten. Plus it's whitened by some weird bleaching process, and turned nito another typical American non-food. We use sea salt and Himalayan salt. True sea salt isn't white but a little grayish because of the minerals...

According to Donna Gates, a nutritionist, here's the deal on processed salt:

Flavorful Poison

Regular table salt, or iodized salt, is highly refined and has additives like sugar, chemicals, and preservatives. Many of the preservatives are not required to be listed on the container and include ferrocyanide, magnesium carbonate, and aluminum hydroxide.

These extra ingredients improve the pour-ability of standard salt, but they are not necessarily meant for human consumption. In fact, high levels of aluminum are believed to be a major factor in the prevalence of Alzheimer's in the U.S.

Standard salt undergoes a refining process that strips it of 60 trace minerals, leaving a nutrient-free flavoring. Manufacturers put this refined salt into almost every prepared food, and it's even present in municipal water sources.

Read more:

http://bodyecology.com/07/02/08/what_you_dont_know_can_harm_you.php

Worrisome rise in underweight babies

This is interesting given that low-birthweight babies are most often an indicator of poor prenatal conditions, something we would associate with underdeveloped countries. Is it possible that our crappy food, over abundance of chemicals, lack of green space, heavy reliance on drugs (including IVF drugs) etc., is doing this? Also, instead of letting people have their babies naturally, c-sections are on the rise!

We are 32 out of 33 countries in term of child well being? Starting to sound a little Third Worldy to me!

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By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer Thu Jun 12, 7:59 AM ET

NEW YORK - The percentage of underweight babies born in the U.S. has increased to its highest rate in 40 years, according to a new report that also documents a recent rise in the number of children living in poverty.

The data on low birth weights is worrisome because such babies — those born at less than 5.5 pounds — are at greater risk of dying in infancy or experiencing long-term disabilities.

The findings were released Thursday in the annual Kids Count report on the health and well-being of America's youth, which measures the states in 10 categories. Overall, the report found progress, as well as some setbacks.

"Well-being indicators have largely gotten better for teens, and they've gotten worse for babies," said Laura Beavers, coordinator of the Kids Count project for the Baltimore-based Annie E. Casey Foundation.

The report documented improvements in the child death rate, teen death rate, teen birth rate, high school dropout rate, and teens not in school and not working. There was no change in the infant mortality rate, while four areas worsened: low-birthweight babies, children living in with jobless or underemployed parents, children in poverty, and children in single-parent families.

In composite rankings for all 10 indicators, New Hampshire, Minnesota, Massachusetts, Connecticut and Utah ranked the highest, while Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama and South Carolina ranked the lowest.

Beavers noted that in many categories, the United States compares poorly to other developed countries. A recent study released by UNICEF ranked the U.S. second worst out of 33 industrialized nations in a composite index on child well-being, and it was 29th in regard to the percentage of babies with low birth weights.

According to Kids Count, the latest available federal data, from 2005, showed that 8.2 percent of U.S. babies were born at low birth weight, a level not seen since 1968.

The worst rate — 11.8 percent in Mississippi — was nearly twice the 6.1 percent rate in the best states — Alaska, Oregon and Washington.

Beavers said part of the overall increase in low-birthweight babies was due to a rise in multiple births as more older women use fertility treatments to conceive. But she said the birth-weight problem also has been worsening for single-baby deliveries.

The rate of low-weight births is sharply higher for blacks (13.6 percent) than for whites (7.3 percent) or Hispanics (6.9 percent). One important factor, Beavers said, is the mother's overall health at the time of pregnancy and her access to good prenatal care.

Dr. Alan Fleischman, medical director of the March of Dimes, said the increase in underweight newborns is closely linked to a rise in premature births.

He agreed with Beavers that better socio-economic conditions for pregnant mothers would help. But Fleischman also said the U.S. medical profession should be more rigorous in encouraging women to continue their pregnancies as close to term as feasible, and reduce the number of early, induced deliveries, often caesarian, that frequently produce underweight infants.

read more here.

Review: SuperNutrition's Antioxidant Power

Oxidants are a natural process of aging, stress, and environmental toxins. For that reason, most women trying to conceive could probably benefit from from a little antioxidant help. Dr. Randine Lewis the natural fertility expert suggested I take grape seed extract and CoQ10. Dr. Beer wanted me on extra folate and b12, and I was aware I need silica and a bunch of other things. I love this AntiOxidant Power because it puts it all together. And it doesn't skimp on the ingredients. Vitamin E comes in many forms, and the Vitamin E succinate is a particularly bioavailable form. Selenium helps ward off thyroid problems. And everyone could probably use a little daily alpha lipoic acid, the master antioxidant.

Even more appealing is a mix of herbs (organic when possible), so you are truly supplementing with what you need, not just popping a synthetic vitamin pill. PLUS, the ingredients don't have any of those allergenic fertility unfriendly ingredients like gluten, soy, dairy.

I've taken these for about a month and I feel more energetic, plus my husband says my hair looks fantastic.

This is a small family run company but you can often find their products tucked away on the shelf at Whole Foods and places like that. Check it out here.

Get the lead out: Children's $$ pajamas

I just saw a notice in our CVS that they're recalling some kiddie sunglasses because of lead. In general, I think it's best to make your own kiddie products from unbleached muslin and cornhusks. Think you're avoiding lead by merely avoiding cheap crap? Think again!

-------------

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

---

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 10, 2008 Release #08-302

Firm's Recall Hotline: (877) 752-2387 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

The Children�s Place Recalls Camouflage Pajama Sets Due to Excessive Lead

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Camouflage Pajama Sets

Units: About 28,000

Manufacturer: The Children�s Place Retail Stores Inc., of Secaucus, N.J.

Hazard: The screen print on the shirt contains excess levels of lead.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: This recall involves long- and short-sleeved pajama sets. The sets have a blue shirt with a red screen print that reads �Athletics 90� and coordinating camouflage pants. The pajama sets were sold in boys� sizes XXS (2/3) to XL (14).

Sold exclusively at: The Children�s Place stores nationwide and www.childrensplace.com from December 2006 to January 2008 for between $15 and $17.

Manufactured in: Vietnam

Remedy: Consumers should immediately take the pajama sets from children and return them to any The Children�s Place store for a full refund.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact The Children�s Place at (877) 752-2387 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm�s Web site at www.childrensplace.com. Consumers can also email the firm at customerservice@childrensplace.com

'Disposable Heroes': Veterans Used To Test Suicide-Linked Drugs

Can we say we're surprised?
---------------------------------------------

An ABC News and Washington Times Investigation Reveals Vets Are Being Recruited for Government Tests on Drugs with Violent Side Effects

By BRIAN ROSS and VIC WALTER
June 17, 2008

Mentally distressed veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan are being recruited for government tests on pharmaceutical drugs linked to suicide and other violent side effects, an investigation by ABC News and The Washington Times has found.

The report will air on Good Morning America and will also appear in The Washington Times on Tuesday. (click here to read the Washington Times coverage of "Disposable Heroes")

In one of the human experiments, involving the anti-smoking drug Chantix, Veterans Administration doctors waited more than three months before warning veterans about the possible serious side effects, including suicide and neuropsychiatric behavior.

"Lab rat, guinea pig, disposable hero," said former US Army sniper James Elliott in describing how he felt he was betrayed by the Veterans Administration.

Elliott, 38, of suburban Washington, D.C., was recruited, at $30 a month, for the Chantix anti-smoking study three years after being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He served a 15-month tour of duty in Iraq from 2003-2004.

Months after he began taking the drug, Elliott suffered a mental breakdown, experiencing a relapse of Iraq combat nightmares he blames on Chantix.

"They never told me that I was going to be suicidal, that I would cease sleeping. They never told me anything except this will help me quit smoking," Elliott told ABC News and The Washington Times.

read more here

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It's not like they didn't know this drug had problems. Click on these for more stories:

FDA Issues Public Health Advisory on Chantix

FAA bans anti-smoking drug Chantix for pilots, air controllers

plenty more where this came from...

Social Trust Builds Good Health

Fertility is more than just about having perfect FSH numbers, I think there's a lot of spiritual factors that promote good health and then fertility. Now that it's barbeque season, why not cue up the grill (marinate the stuff in lemon juice beforehand to make it less carcinogenic!) and invite some friends over?

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Newswise — The friendly Freddy next door — the guy that organizes block parties — probably believes himself to be in good health. As it turns out, he may be right, according to a study that measures how “social capital” affects physical and mental well-being.

“Social trust, sense of belonging and community participation were each significantly associated with health outcomes,” the researchers found. Physical health — as reported by the study participants —“remained significantly associated with social trust” even among twins.

However, social capital — the factors that add up to a feeling of connection to the community — did not affect rates of major depression, found the study appearing in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

The study looked at survey data from the National Survey of Midlife Development in the U.S., focusing on 944 sets of twins, all between ages 25 and 74. More than 1,000 of the 1,888 participants said they were either in very good or excellent health.

“We directly compared twins, and found the effect of social trust regardless of genetics and upbringing,” said study coauthor Takeo Fujiwara.

An overwhelming majority of participants — 95 percent — perceived an absolute connection between their physical health and social trust, said Fujiwara. He is chief of the Section of Behavioral Science, Department of Health Promotion and Research at the National Institute of Public Health in Japan.

Fujiwara and co-author Ichiro Kawachi, a professor of social epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, say social capital includes factors such as community participation, volunteer work and comfort within a neighborhood..

“This is very encouraging,” Fujiwara said. “What society or community can do may change the health of residents, regardless of predisposing factors.”