10 Reasons to Stop Eating Beef

Beef-eating is portrayed in the U.S. almost as a patriotic endeavor. Their favorite sports heroes – from Michael Jordan to Drew Bledsoe – are featured in McDonalds ads and toys. We are literally bombarded with ads for McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s. But there is something very odd about all this. There are hints (or front page headlines) telling us that there is something wrong with all this beef consumption.

In fact, a quick study of the issues surrounding beef consumption finds some very disturbing facts:

1. Beef contains significant quantities of the most toxic organic chemical known – dioxin. This chemical is toxic in the trillionths of grams. Dioxin has been linked to cancer, endometriosis, Attention Deficit Disorder (hyperactivity in children), reproductive systems defects in children, chronic fatigue syndrome, immune system deficiency, and rare nerve and blood disorders. A single hamburger contains up to 100 picograms of dioxin. That is 300 times as much as the EPA says is “acceptable” for a daily dose for an adult! There are some scientists who say that there is no acceptable dose; they say that any dose can cause toxic effects, because dioxin is a hormone disrupting chemical which changes the functioning of our cells, against which we have no defense. The dioxin comes from microscopic particles of ash from incinerators that have settled on grass and crops eaten by the beef cattle, pigs, and chickens. All farm animals are affected – even herds grown on “all-natural” feed.

2. The huge amount of beef that we consume, in combination with the usual side-orders of other fatty foods (such as french fries) and caffeine and refined sugars (cola beverages) appears to be one of the major causes of obesity in the U.S. and Europe. Beef is “dumped” into their schools by the beef industry and the USDA – beef producers are paid by the government for “surplus” beef (the vast amount they cannot sell) which is subsequently “donated” to school lunch programs, helping our children to get hooked on this unhealthy food.

3. Beef production is the major cause of the destruction of the world’s rainforests. The high price of beef encourages ranchers to burn the forest to create new rangelands. The fragile, thin rainforest soil cover is quickly destroyed by grazing in 1-2 years, and the ranchers move on to burn another area, in a never-ending cycle of destruction. Thousands of species of plants and animals have already been destroyed forever, as well as straining the earth’s ability to convert carbon dioxide into oxygen. At current rates, the rainforests will be totally destroyed in 30-50 years.

4. Beef production is the major cause of “desertification” around the world – the rapid degradation of marginal, low-rainfall soil areas into desert. The constant pounding of the hoofs of cattle disturbs and eventually destroys the delicate root systems which keep the topsoil layer intact. Erosion by winds or storms removes the topsoil, leaving the sand or clay subsoil layer behind.

5. Beef production is a serious social justice issue. Beef cattle and their grazing land take up nearly a quarter of the land mass of the earth, to supply beef to the U.S., Europe, and Japan. About one third of the world’s grain harvest is used for feed for cattle instead of food for people. In the U.S., that figure is over 70 percent. It takes 16 pounds of grain to produce a single pound of beef. This, in a world where nearly a billion people lack enough food, is unjust. Beef production for the developed parts of the world is severely limiting the amount of food available for people in the poor and developing world.

6. Beef can harbor a deadly new germ, called e. coli O157:H7. This new germ is now a major cause of serious food poisoning. Beef and dairy cattle can carry the germ with no apparent adverse health effects. The germ, found in cattle feces, has contaminated beef and produce grown with cow manure. So far it has killed dozens of people and sickened thousands. In August, 1997, 25 million pounds of beef were recalled, the largest food recall in the world’s history, because of O157:H7 contamination of beef destined to Burger King restaurants. The precautions against the germ – including cooking to 160º F (71º C) – reveals a disgusting side of beef production – there is no way to prevent fecal contamination during slaughter.

7. The consumption of beef and fast food “restaurants” that promote it have created a new, super-exploitative work environment. High school students and people in poverty have learned an old social order – the sweatshop. The frenetic pace of a McDonalds or Burger King at lunch or dinner time is easily a match for the non-unionized factories and garment shops of the ’20s in the U.S. (or most developing countries today). But this is the modern U.S. sweatshop, where we are all members of a “team” working for the common good – minimum wages and windfall profits.

8. Beef consumption has created a self-perpetuating and rapidly-expanding distortion of local economies all over the world. As more McDonalds “restaurants” are established and beef consumption rises, more arable land is consumed for grazing and cattle feed. In developing countries, the local economy changes from one based on local food markets and trade to one based on beef exports, enriching a few wealthy landowners and merchants and impoverishing the rest.

9. The “fast-food” industry giants that promote beef – McDonalds, Burger King, and Wendy’s – have created and encouraged an artificial, plastic, uniform, standard “restaurant” environment that, because of their powerful advertising media, discourages diversity and local and ethnic culture in restaurants and in food choices. Beef – served as hamburgers – has been the driving force for this shift in how we view food and eating in the U. S.

10. The beef “fast-food” industry, notably McDonalds and Burger King, especially targets children in its marketing. As a result, millions of children (and in many cases, their parents) associate eating at those “restaurants” as a fun, positive, healthful eating experience. Obesity and other afflictions associated with excess animal fat intake and sedentary lifestyle are now affecting young adults and children in increasing numbers.

by Jonathan Campbell

Sources: 1994 EPA Dioxin Reassessment, Dying From Dioxin by Lois Gibbs, Beyond Beef by Jeremy Rifkin, fact sheets from the McLibel case (Great Britain), Diet For A Small Planet by Francis Moore Lappe, Mother Jones magazine

10 ways to keep your brain sharp

1.Use brain sharpener
tease your brain using crossword puzzles, sudokus and other brain teasers actually keep your brain in shape, has not been well-established. However, lack of education is a strong predictor of cognitive decline. The more you've tried to learn, the better you'll be at mental sit-ups in old age. The key may be tackling something new; the challenge of the unknown is likely more beneficial than putting together the same jigsaw puzzle over and over again.

2.Skip supplements
Supplements have been getting a bad rap recently, with even the familiar multivitamin now looking like a waste of money -- or worse. Brain pills, such as ginkgo and melatonin, likely belong in the trash as well. Despite their "natural" origins, they are not free of potential side effects, such as high blood pressure, digestion trouble, fertility problems and depression. And among healthy individuals, ginkgo offers no brain benefits beyond that of a placebo.

3.Chill out
Stress takes a toll on the brain by washing harmful chemicals over the brain areas involved in memory. Some scientists suspect that living a balanced lifestyle and pursuing relaxing activities such as yoga, socializing and crafting may delay memory impairment by reducing stress. So no harm in being retarded sometimes by cracking out unnecessary jokes when we have serious situation. It can kill stress but make sure you don't get killed in the process.

4.Eat fish
Some theories credit the introduction of fish into the human diet with the evolution of our tremendous cognitive prowess. Essential fatty acids, such as Omega 3s, are critical to brain function and are proving beneficial for treating such brain-sapping ailments as depression. Studies on the efficacy of Omega 3 supplements, however, have had mixed results, so get doses from food sources, such as flax seeds, fatty fish and grass-fed animals.I will skip this one as I don't eat fish.

5.Enjoy your coffee
Growing evidence suggests a caffeine habit may protect the brain. According to large longitudinal studies, two to four perk-me-ups a day may stave off normal cognitive decline and decrease the incidence of Alzheimer's by 30 to 60 percent. It is unclear whether the benefits come from caffeine or the antioxidants found in coffee and tea, but that latte may improve cognition this afternoon and several decades from now. But coffee increases stress so try try to be retarded again to compensate the side effects.haha.

6.Get your beauty rest
When we rest and dream, memories are sifted through, some discarded, others consolidated and saved. When we don't sleep, a recent study found, proteins build up on synapses, possibly making it hard to think and learn new things. Furthermore, chronically sleeping poorly (in contrast to not enough) is linked to cognitive decline in old age, although the relationship may not be causal. Just don't sleep or day dream in class for the sake of following this advice.

7.Take care of your body
Largely preventable diseases -- such as Type II diabetes, obesity and hypertension -- all affect your brain, too. System-wide health concerns have been linked to an increased risk of cognitive decline and memory impairments. Keeping your circulatory system in working order, by, say, avoiding cigarettes and saturated fat, lessens the onslaught of age-related damage to the brain.Keep fit you fat guy( or girl: don't accuse me being a sexist)

8.Watch that diet
While overindulging can make the brain sluggish and lead to long-term detriments to your brain, too few calories can also impair brain function. Extreme dieting can cause some diehards to feel stretches of calm -- a feeling that may underlie the addiction of anorexia -- but many studies have also linked dieting with distraction, confusion and memory impairment.

9.Eat, eat, eat
Too much or too little energy throws a kink in the brain's delicate machinery. A low glycemic diet -- high fiber, with moderate amounts of fat and protein -- is broken down more slowly in the body than high glycemic foods, such as sweets and white starches. A steady pace of digestion in the gut gives a more reliable flow of energy to the brain, likely optimizing the organ's long-term health and performance.But follow rule number 8.

10.Do something!
Scientists are starting to think that regular aerobic exercise may be the single most important thing you can do for the long-term health of your brain. While the heart and lungs respond loudly to a sprint on the treadmill, the brain is quietly getting fitter with each step, too. For mental fitness, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every other day.I am doing it.Are you?

Darwin Dynasty Cursed By Inbreeding

Charles Darwin's family suffered from the deleterious effects of inbreeding, suggests a new study that serves as ironic punctuation to the evolutionary theorist's life work.

Pioneer of the theory that genetic traits affect survival of both individual organisms and species, Darwin wondered in his own lifetime if his marriage to first cousin Emma Wedgwood was having "the evil effects of close interbreeding" that he had observed in plants and animals.

Three of their children died before age 10, two from infectious diseases. The survivors were often ill, and out of the six long-term marriages that resulted, only half produced any children. According to researchers at Ohio State University and Spain's Universidad de Santiago de Compestela, that alone is a "suspicious" sign that the Darwins suffered from reproductive problems.

Inbreeding can cause serious health problems, because it increases the chances of successful gene expression for diseases otherwise rare or muted in an individual's pedigree.

The new study, detailed in the journal Bioscience, fed genealogical data on the Darwin-Wedgwood link into a specialized computer program, which spit out a "coefficient of inbreeding," or the probability that an individual received two identical copies of a gene resulting from marriages among relatives. (Some genetic disorders are caused by recessive genes, which means they require two copies of a gene in order for the trait to manifest.)

Results revealed that inbreeding was a possible factor in the offspring's poor health. Darwin's children suffered from a "moderate degree" of inbreeding, the researchers concluded. When expanded to other branches of the family tree and four consecutive generations, the analysis found an even stronger association between child mortality and incestuousness.

Darwin's mother and grandfather were also Wedgwoods, and his mother's parents were third cousins.

The study relied solely on birth and death records. In the late 19th century it was still fashionable for wealthy families to intermarry over generations. As would be expected of prominent families, their genealogical records were also in excellent condition.

When genealogical records are not available, scientists interested in genetic heritage must rely on DNA and radiological analysis of bone samples - a type of research recently utilized for mummies.

In fact, this past February, an international team announced that a high degree of inbreeding was the likely explanation for boy pharoah King Tutankamun's early death and frail, club footed frame. And research published last year showed the termination of the Habsburg dynasty that ruled Spain for nearly 200 years may have been a result of frequent inbreeding.

so, get married with someone not related to you. interracial marriage is better. mamalado

Low Testosterone Raises Heart Death

THURSDAY, April 29 (HealthDay News) -- Among men with erectile dysfunction, those who also have low testosterone levels face a higher than normal risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, a new study has found.

In a second study, the same team of researchers also found a link between obesity and impairment of blood flow to the penis, which, in turn, is linked to cardiovascular disease in erectile dysfunction patients.

In the first study, researchers led by Dr. Giovanni Corona, of the University of Florence, examined the testosterone levels of 1,687 men seeking treatment for erectile dysfunction. After an average follow-up period of 4.3 years, 137 of the men had had a heart attack or other major heart problem, and 15 had died.

Those who had lower levels of testosterone were the most likely to die of heart problems, the study authors found.

"Our work shows that screening for testosterone deficiency in men with erectile dysfunction may help clinicians identify those at higher risk from cardiovascular events," Corona said in a news release from the European Society of Endocrinology. "However, at the moment we can't say whether low testosterone levels are the cause or the consequence of this higher risk."

A second study looked at the same group of men and found a link between clinical obesity, which means a body-mass index of greater than 30, and reduced blood flow to the penis. This reduced blood flow was significantly related to an increased incidence of major cardiac events, such as heart attacks, in obese men but not in leaner men.

The findings were scheduled to be presented at the European Congress of Endocrinology, held April 24 to 28 in Prague, the Czech Republic.

Does breastfeeding protect against asthma?

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Sticking to a strict diet of mom's milk during the first 4 months of life may reduce a child's risk of developing asthma by their eighth birthday, according to a new study.

"Breast milk is the optimal food for infants during the first months of life," lead researcher Dr. Inger Kull of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden, told Reuters Health in an email. "But whether or not breastfeeding reduces the risk of asthma has been debated."

Through her milk, a mother transfers "good" bacteria, antibodies and proteins that can help thwart infection. But the evidence for how breastfeeding might influence the later development of asthma remains confusing, with various studies suggesting protective, neutral and even detrimental effects.

Kull and her colleagues decided to look into the relationship a little differently than previous studies. They followed nearly 4,000 Swedish children over 8 years, noting which received short- or long-term, as well as exclusive or partial, breastfeeding.

The team found that about 12 percent of children who were exclusively breastfed for at least the first 4 months of life developed asthma by age 8, compared with 18 percent of those breastfed for a shorter amount of time.

This translated into a 37 percent lower risk of asthma for those breastfed for 4 months or longer, after adjusting for other risk factors such as maternal smoking and birth weight.

The difference appeared to be driven mostly by allergy-related cases of asthma.

The extended and exclusive diet of breast milk also resulted in better lung function at age 8, the researchers report in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology.

Of course, not all mothers have the desire or ability to solely breastfeed for their child's first months. For these women, Kull suggests that even partial breastfeeding can somewhat reduce the risk of asthma.

But what about all the other conflicting research? Dr. Malcolm Sears of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, led one of these studies. His team found that New Zealand children breastfed for more than 4 weeks actually developed more asthma later in childhood.

Sears says one possible explanation for his result is the "hygiene hypothesis" -- the theory that the increasingly germ-free surroundings of modern life are actually contributing to an increase in allergies and asthma.

"If you're absolutely protecting children from everything, and breastfeeding protects them to a certain extent, this may allow the immune system to switch to becoming allergic rather than fighting infections," Sears told Reuters Health.

He also suggested the possibility that while breastfeeding might initially increase the risk of asthma, if a mother keeps at it for a long time, the risk can be reduced again - even to the point where breastfeeding becomes protective. Interestingly, his study used an earlier cut-off between short- and long-term breastfeeding than the Swedish study.

Still, given the inconsistent findings, Sears cautions against using asthma protection as the motivating factor for breastfeeding. "There are 101 good reasons to breastfeed," said Sears. "Whether or not it protects you against asthma, you should choose to breastfeed for all the other good reasons."

Face/Off

Can you remember John Trovolta's and Nicholas Cage's movie Face/Off(1997)? It was a movie back then but now it is a reality.

MADRID – A team of surgeons has carried out the world's first full-face transplant on a young Spanish farmer unable to breathe or eat on his own since accidentally shooting himself in the face five years ago

The Spanish patient, who was not identified, now has a completely new face from his hairline down and only one visible scar, which looks like a wrinkle running across his neck, said Barret, who headed the 30-member surgical team.

Face transplants in the real world have gained acceptance since the first partial transplant almost five years ago in France. Patients don't look like the dead people whose skin and facial features they now live with. And skeptical bioethicists and doctors groups have warmed to the idea for patients who have tried reconstructive surgery with little success.

There have been 10 partial transplants worldwide, including in the United States, China and elsewhere in Spain, but this is the first full face transplant, Barret said.

The Spanish operation is similar to a near-total face transplant carried out by a team led by Dr. Maria Siemionow in 2008 in Cleveland, on a woman who was also shot in the face.

But the Spanish case "seems to us to be more complex," said Neil Huband, a spokesman for the UK Facial Transplantation Research Team, based at the Royal Free Hospital in London.

Barret would give no details about the donor except to say that doctors try to choose donors of similar weight, height, facial measurements and skin tone as the recipient.

Recipients run the risk of deadly complications and must take immune-suppressing drugs for the rest of their lives to prevent organ rejection, raising their odds of cancer and many other problems.

Photos not released-mamalado

Careful of dengue

KUALA LUMPUR: Four deaths due to dengue were reported from among the 1,639 cases of the disease recorded so far this year in the KL city.The 1,639 cases were higher than the 1,447 recorded for the corresponding period last year.

The places regarded as active mosquito breeding areas in Kuala Lumpur included Cheras, Setapak, Kepong and Jalan Klang Lama

pls ensure that your residential area is free from dengue.

Vatican to finance adult stem cell research

ROME: The Vatican is pushing for research of adult stem cells as an alternative to the use of embryonic stem cells, which the Catholic Church opposes because it maintains that the destruction of the embryo amounts to the killing of human life.

The church is opposed to embryonic stem cell research because it involves the destruction of embryos, but it supports the use of adult stem cells, which are found in the bodies of all humans.

Human embryonic stem cells are produced from surplus embryos of in vitro fertilization procedures used to help infertile women get pregnant.

Both are prized for their ability to morph into other kinds of cells, offering the possibility of replacing tissue damaged by ailments such as Parkinson's disease.

But adult cells are thought to be less versatile than embryonic ones, and scientists have had more trouble growing adult stem cells in the laboratory than embryonic cells.

Still, adult stem cells could be easier to use if they are taken from patients themselves, because the replacement tissue would have less chance of being rejected.

Obama has lifted restrictions, imposed by his predecessor President George W. Bush, on federal funding of research using human embryonic stem cells.

He called intestinal stem cells "a very exciting area of basic research" but said therapeutic uses are only speculative at this point.

"We want to harvest them, we want to isolate them, we want to make them grow outside our body," and transform them into cells of any kind, said Alessio Fasano, the scientist leading the project and the director of the University of Maryland's Center for Celiac Research.

"If we reach that phase, if we are able to achieve that goal, then our next step is to eventually move to clinical application," Fasano told the AP.

Intestinal stem cells have certain features that make them appealing for this kind of research, Fasano said.

They are very active cells - the intestine replenishes all its cells every few days - and they are intrinsically flexible - already programmed to generate all the various kinds of cells such as mucus cells or epithelial cells present in the highly complex organ- AP

80% of children are not designed to jog: M’sian Physiotherapy Assoc

KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian Physiotherapy Association is urging parents and teachers to discourage children from jogging as 80% of them have bone structures that are not suited for it and risk suffering significant injuries.

“All children are not designed to run. It is important to screen them for any physical conditions that might cause injuries,” said the association's president Dr Balwant Singh Bains.

While most injuries were not disabling, he said they caused strain and children’s complaints of pain usually fell on deaf ears.

“For adults, jogging is the first thing that comes to mind when a doctor recommends exercise,” he said, adding, however, that aging could have left weak points in their bodies.

He advised people to meet a physiotherapist and be screened to identify the problems which could be triggered by jogging.

Alternatives included swimming, cycling and other low impact activities such as step exercises, Dr Balwant Singh added.

He also said physiotherapists could be posted to schools to open new avenues for the profession.

AIDS vaccine researcher hopeful

JOHANNESBURG: A leader in the search for a vaccine against HIV, which causes AIDS, said that recent advances have given scientists new reason for hope.

Dr. Alan Bernstein, executive director of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, cited the world's first successful test of an experimental AIDS vaccine.

In September, researchers said the vaccine protected one in three people from getting HIV in a large study in Thailand."A vaccine is possible, and we have the scientific tools now to turn that possibility into a reality."

Scientists must now try to improve the vaccine so that it protects more than a third of the people who get it, and lasts for more than the six to 12 months it now appears to be effective.

A vaccine "is the most effective public health measure we've come up with," Bernstein said. - AP