Health Videos and Health News // Current

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The "Prince of Pot" on tour

"My point is that everything you can think of water,fatty foods kill you, trans fat kills you, salt kills you, sugar kills... more

JackHerer
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Censorship in South Dakota - Marijuana Activist Silenced By Judge as Condition of Probation

For most of this decade, Bob Newland has been the voice of marijuana law reform in South Dakota. The photographer and Black Hills... more

JackHerer
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Snitch - The (involuntary) confessions of a confidential informant

The first case Lee worked on for the sheriff led to a search warrant on a house where less than an ounce of marijuana was... more

JackHerer
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California Should Pay Its People in Pot

California's state finances have gone to pot, and that's what it should use to pay its employees. Right now the state... more

JackHerer
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Walking the Last Free Mile with Eddy Lepp

Today Eddy Lepp called me at about 10:30 a.m. and said they were getting ready to pass through Pismo Beach. I hopped into my car... more

JackHerer
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People of the Philippines standing up against GMOs

A NETWORK of farmers from Masipag, scientists and non-government organizations (NGOs) practicing sustainable agriculture and... more

JanforGore
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Taking (or giving?) One for the Greater Good

Remember when you were a kid and they had the sponsored runs at school. You went around and got the neighbors and your family to... more

eldamon
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Support healthy food choices in schools

On June 24 a broad coalition of Main Street Moms, Activist Moms and NGOs, along with actresses Deidre Hall and Andrea Bowen... more

JanforGore
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Amtrak Crash Kills 5

CANTON TOWNSHIP, Mich. - An Amtrak train crashed Thursday into a car in this Detroit suburb, killing all five people in the... more

Crenshaw_Brothers
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WASHINGTON - Vaccinations against swine flu are likely and probably will begin in mid-October, assuming soon-to-start studies go well.

The government will fully pay for any autumn vaccination program against the new H1N1 swine flu, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said on Thursday.

"We have already appropriated about a billion dollars to buy the bulk ingredients," Sebelius told a swine flu "summit" of state and local leaders at the National Institutes of Health.

She said another $7.5 billion was available from emergency preparedness funds.

President Barack Obama telephoned the NIH all the way from Italy Thursday to tell a meeting of 500 flu officials not to promote panic — but to make sure "we are promoting vigilance and preparation."

Saying the potential for a significant fall outbreak is looming, Obama said steps taken now to prepare are crucial to protect "our neighbors and our friends and co-workers."

Swine flu may have faded from the headlines but it's still sickening people here and abroad and is certain to worsen when influenza-friendly fall temperatures arrive. The federal government called together health and education officials from every state to check their preparations for the likely prospect of vaccinations and determine how they'll handle flu-riddled schools.

"I want to be clear: This summit is not about raising alarms or stoking fears. It is about being prepared," Sebelius said. "We must avoid complacency."

Sebelius says no final decision has been made. But she says first in line for shots likely will be school-age children, young adults with conditions such as asthma, pregnant women and health workers.

Studies of the brand-new vaccine are set to start in early August, and the government will make its final decision once results are available. But Sebelius told officials from all 50 states Thursday to figure out now how they would deliver the shots to people who need them.

The government estimates that 1 million Americans so far have been infected with the never-before-seen virus known formally by its scientific family name, H1N1.WASHINGTON - Vaccinations against swine flu are likely and probably will begin in mid-October, assuming soon-to-start studies go... more

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Did China's nuclear tests kill thousands and doom future generations?

"Enver Tohti remembers the week that it rained dust. That summer of 1973 he was in elementary school in Xinjiang Province,... more

DeliaTheArtist
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What Does a Drug That Extends Life in Mice Mean for Humans?

A natural compound, used as an immunosuppressant in organ-transplant patients, has been found to extend life in mice, according to a study published Wednesday by the journal Nature. Aging mice that were given the substance, rapamycin, lived significantly longer than mice that didn't get the drug: females that received rapamycin were 13% older at death, and males 9% older.
The research, conducted as part of the National Institute of Aging Interventions Testing Program, took place at three separate test sites and involved nearly 2,000 genetically similar mice. Trials began when mice were about 600 days old — well into middle age, at a stage roughly equivalent to 60-year-old humans.
Because of their late start (researchers had intended to study mice from early ages, but were stymied by technical difficulties), scientists weren't sure they could expect clear results. However, even administered late in life, rapamycin delayed death of the longest-lived male mice by 101 days and 151 days in the longest-lived females — the equivalent of about 13 years on average in humans — compared with mice with no treatment. In terms of life expectancy when treatment began (or average remaining lifespan when the mice were 600 days old), that translates to an increase of 38% in female mice and 28% in males compared with mice that received no treatment at all.

Although the results are totally untested in humans, they do suggest that aging could be slowed by drugs. Exactly how rapamycin works is "still an open question," says Randy Strong, a pharmacology professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and one of three lead authors on the study. But he and his colleagues were prompted to test the aging effects of rapamycin, which was discovered in Easter Island soil samples about 40 years ago, after noting that the compound appeared to affect cell growth in lab animals in much the same way as calorie-restricted diets, which also appear to extend life.
Scientists think rapamycin's cellular target — called mTOR for "mammalian target of rapamycin" — helps regulate the body's response to nutrients and may also, according to Strong, "gear up responses to stress," such as the oxidative stress that damages proteins and DNA and contributes to disease development. "What we're doing with rapamycin," Strong says, "is we're actually tricking the cells into thinking that they're depleted of nutrients. Rather than the animals losing weight — we haven't noticed any weight loss — they may be just using their proteins more efficiently, and then repairing proteins more efficiently.

It's this cellular efficiency, perhaps, that delays aging and helps preserve animals' good health. The findings suggest that rapamycin does not affect or prevent any one disease specifically — the mice in the study died of various causes, with no real difference between mice that received rapamycin and those that didn't — but rather that it slows aging overall.
Rapamycin's life-extending effect has been demonstrated by other researchers in past studies of worms, fruit flies and yeast; the drug appears to interfere with a similar cellular process in those species too. "I think this is a big leap from those invertebrate species to mammals," says Strong, who is also a senior research scientist for Veteran Affairs. "This gives us a good idea that perhaps it would work in humans too."

Earlier human trials have shown, however, that rapamycin can have serious side effects. Because it is an immune suppressant, it can make users susceptible to opportunistic infections. It has also been linked to hyperlipidemia, or high levels of triglycerides in the blood, which can lead to heart disease. It's unclear whether these problems would counteract any longevity benefit that rapamycin might provide in humans. Says Strong, "I think more immediately, people are starting to look at [rapamycin] for age-related diseases like Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease or kidney disease."A natural compound, used as an immunosuppressant in organ-transplant patients, has been found to extend life in mice, according to... more

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Why Are Southerners So Fat?

People from Mississippi are fat. With an adult obesity rate of 33%, Mississippi gobbled its way to the "chubbiest state" crown for the fifth year in a row, according to a new joint report by Trust For America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Alabama, West Virginia, and Tennessee aren't far behind, with obesity rates over 30%. In fact, eight out of the 10 fattest states are in the South. The region famous for its biscuits, barbecue and pecan pies has been struggling with its weight for years — but then again, so has the rest of the country. Wisconsin loves cheese, New Yorkers scarf pizza, and New Englanders have been known to enjoy a crab cake or two. So why is the South so portly? For one thing, it's poor. Mississippi is not only the fattest state in the nation but also the poorest, with 21% of its residents living below the poverty line according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Alabama and West Virginia, the second and third fattest states, are tied for fifth-poorest. With a poverty rate of 14%, the South is easily the most impoverished region in the country. "When you're poor you tend to eat more calorie-dense foods because they're cheaper than fruits and vegetables," explains Jeff Levi, executive director of Trust for America. Poor neighborhoods also have fewer grocery stores, even in the rural South. A 2004 study by the University of South Carolina found that most food-shopping options in rural areas fall into the "convenience store" category because grocery stores are located too far away. But although poverty puts people at risk for obesity, it doesn't determine their fate. A number of impoverished states — including Montana, Texas and New Mexico — have relatively low levels of obesity. There must be something else. Maybe it's the culture. Southerners definitely enjoy their fried chicken (not to mention fried steak, fried onions, fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, and fried cornbread). Even when their food isn't fried, they like to smother it in gravy. But while nutritionists frequently blame Southerners' large guts on their regional food choices, the accusation is a little unfair. Just as Californians don't actually live on wheat grass and tofu, Southerners don't really sit around eating fried chicken every day. "I've not come across anything that says the diet in the Southeast is worse than the rest of the country," says Dr. David Bassett, co-director of the University of Tennessee's Obesity Research Center. "We're definitely in what I like to call the 'stroke belt,'" he explains, referring to the Southeastern states' high percentage of heart disease and hypertension, "but I think that has more to do with Southerners' lack of physical activity rather than the food." Bassett isn't just talking about neglected gym memberships and people who sit on the couch all day. Physical activity can be something as simple as walking to the bus stop. That's another problem, by the way: the South doesn't have many bus stops. Public transportation is paltry, and for most people the best way to get around is by car. "You don't really think of riding the train as exercise, but at least you have to walk a few blocks to get to the stop," says Bassett. States like Mississippi and Tennessee also have a surprising lack of sidewalks, discouraging even the most eager pedestrians. Many roads are narrower than those in the North — where streets have wider shoulders to accommodate winter snow — and people who want to bike or jog find themselves uncomfortably close to traffic.

But who wants to exercise when it's 100 degrees outside? The South is really hot and humid. Nobody in Mississippi goes running in the summer — at least, nobody sane. Bassett points out that Colorado, the state with the lowest obesity rate (18.9%), is relatively affluent and has a temperate climate and plenty of trails that lend themselves to outdoor activities.People from Mississippi are fat. With an adult obesity rate of 33%, Mississippi gobbled its way to the "chubbiest state"... more