A cancer patient that had the common late-stage bone marrow transplant given to leukemia sufferers may have accidentally been cured of HIV-AIDS.  His doctor, Dr. Gero Hutler isn’t an AIDS specialist but apparently selected a donor who had a rare genetic mutation that renders people virtually HIV immune.

The 42-year-old American man living in Berlin, Germany was given the usual radiation and chemotherapy that kills off many of the immune cells that can harbor HIV. He was then transplanted and his immune system was re-populated by the cells that were created by the donor’s bone marrow.

This bodes well for stem cell research and the use of gene therapy in the treatment of diseases. The donor had a mutation that creates immune system, present in about 1% of all Europeans, that lack a receptor molecule called CCR5. Since this receptor plays a role in HIV’s ability to enter the cell, the patient’s immune system was re-populated with immune cells that carried the mutation.

Nearly 600 days later, the transplant seems to have resulted in the absence of any trace of HIV in this man’s body in spite of not taking any AIDS drugs since the transplant.  While this is a single case study and unknown factors could be at work, researchers hope to apply the lessons of this case to the strategy of inducing the protective mutation in HIV patients.

Nobel Prize winner for research on tumor viruses, David Baltimore has started a new company to use gene therapy to target HIV and is encouraged by this case study as a good sign for gene therapy approaches to HIV patients.  Several innovative procedures and different approaches are being tested by researchers at City of Hope cancer center in Duarte, California by John Rossi and colleagues using genetically altered HIV itself in treatment.

It is becoming all too prevalent nowadays to have several outbreaks of bacteria as it relates to our food supply and to have recall of certain foods from grocery store shelves.

While natural weight loss guide focuses on weight loss, it is more aimed at a change in lifestyle.  Eating unprocessed food that is thoroughly washed and properly cooked from scratch could be the beginning not only to kill bacteria such as listeria but to prevent being susceptible to contracting these dangerous organisms in the first place.

If you have a weakened immune system, are elderly, pregnant you are at a higher risk to contract Listeriosis.  Since Listeriosis is caused by eating food contaminated with Listeria bacteria, you should avoid raw (unpasteurized) dairy products and uncooked meats.

Foods such as hot dogs, cold cuts or deli meats should be avoided as Listeria can grow on foods that are stored in a refrigerator.  More dangerous is the fact that contaminated food often look, smell and taste quite normal. While Listeria is not commonly passed from person to person, the bacteria can be killed by proper cooking procedures.

Symptoms: Listeriosis may be present if you experience vomiting, nausea, cramps, diarrhea, severe headache, constipation or fever.  Infections can sometimes become so severe as to develop into an infection of the brain or lining of the brain and can lead to blood poisoning; although some people may only experience mild flu-like symptoms.

Baby Carrots

Baby carrots were invented by a California farmer, Mike Yurosek as a way to avoid discarding as much as 400 tonnes of carrots a day because of their imperfections.  These carrots were too twisted or knobbly for sale as regular-size carrots.

Yurosek wanted to find a way to reclaim these carrots for consumption so he found an industrial bean cutter to reduce the carrots to 2-inch lengths and by so doing created the baby carrot that was first sold in US supermarkets in 1989.

Nutritious Benefit of Carrots

The WHO (World Health Organization) states that vegetables like carrots can help prevent blindness caused by Vitamin A deficiency.  Deficiency in this vitamin partially or totally blinds close to 350,000 children from more than 75 countries every year.  One cooked carrot contains about 150% of the recommended daily amount of beta-carotene that is converted to vitamin A.  It helps prevent night blindness, dry skin, slow growth, weak tooth enamel and poor bone growth.

The American Institute for Cancer Research estimates that a diet high in a variety of fruits and vegetables could prevent 20-33% of lung cancers, at least 5-servings daily.  These carrots are not as nutritious as their larger parents because the skins are moved in processing.

Processed Baby carrots

The baby carrots are also washed in chlorinated water to remove dirt and mud and are dipped in more chlorine solution to prevent white blushing once in the store.  This is the same chlorine that is added to drinking water.

Many fruits like apples, pears, peaches and bananas and some vegetables get a brown discoloration when they react with air (melanosis reaction).  This discoloration while unsightly is not harmful and does not mean that the product is bad but rather than educate the consumer, the additional chlorine solution slows down this process.

Very little is known about what impact this added chlorine will do to your health so the natural weight loss guide recommends that processed food be avoided as much as possible therefore, we use the unprocessed variety.

If you are concerned about your health and wellness or want to find easy, simple and cheap alternatives to store-bought, sugar ladened, over-processed cereals and breakfast products, here’s a free recipe that you can use to make a health shake that’s ideal for breakfast or late-night nutritious snack.

Free Protein Health Shake Recipe

I can suggest a good protein/health shake to make from ingredients that you buy from your local grocery. It can be made fresh and it is blended with a few ice blocks as follows:

1 large banana
4-fresh strawberries
1/4 blueberries
1-cup plain yogurt
1-tsp wheat germ
1-tsp flax meal
3-walnuts (cracked from the husk)
1-tbsp raw sunflower seeds
1-tbsp raw pumpkin seeds
1-tsp honey or molasses (optional)
3-ice cubes

Blend all the ingredients together and drink after exercises, as a breakfast drink or late-night light dinner drink. P.S. If you are suffering from poor circulation, add granulated lecithin as this will flush the fat that’s can block the flow of blood in your arteries.

I have used the natural click2lose weight loss guide as a resource to develop this recipe as this guide is full of recipes and information on how to use the power of food in the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle.

Don’t let a PSA test rush you to cancer treatment (Contributed by Charmaine Simpson)

Womens Health Issues: its name implies most articles found here highlight women’s health issues but sometimes an exception will be made to discuss men’s health issues because we are also mothers, wives, daughters, sisters, cousins and aunts.

By now, most of you have heard about the PSA standard test that’s used to screen for prostate cancer in men. There is now a growing movement against this test because of the mutilating results of the treatment for prostate cancer after diagnosis is made using the PSA test. There’s a Canadian-trained urologist in Barbados that does the physical examination on older men but makes no recommendation for surgery, if the man is over 70 years old. From what I understand, men in Barbados openly joke about choosing death over losing their ability to have an erection so culturally, it might be very different to be a urologist in that country.

A start-up organization, Cure for Prostate Cancer Now Foundation (not yet functional) is gaining legs and may get a boost from a recommendation made by the August Annals of Internal Medicine. Even Richard Ablin, the research professor at University of Arizona that discovered the protein PSA in 1970 spent some 38 year arguing that using PSA levels as a screening mechanism for prostate cancer is useless because it scares men into having surgery or radiation with devastating results.

When Is Prostate Cancer Surgery Necessary?

Last month, a documentary film showed the humiliating consequences of the treatment for prostate cancer. It showed men in diapers because of the incontinence. One man is now barely able to walk, unable to use his bladder or have sex after several surgeries to correct the damage that occurred from accidentally freezing surrounding organs in the attempt to kill cancer cells by freezing the prostate gland. There’s another man that has not had an erection in 13 years.

The movie that these subjects appeared in has not reached the big screens yet because the movie-makers and organizers of “stop the PSA test movement” have yet to get distribution and given the fact that medicine is big business, it’s hard to fight back against the establishment. Each year 234,000 men are diagnosed with prostate cancer and of these 150,000 opt to have surgery or some form of radiation treatment and a mere 12% choose to wait for follow-up and monitoring of worsening signs.

Dr. Alan Shapiro a Los Angeles urologist says that the PSA test has done more harm than good because men often rush to treatment - surgery to remove the prostate gland or radiation to kill the cancer cells. The results of these treatments are inability to have an erection or orgasm and lifelong incontinence. In spite of the PSA test, 32,000 men die each year from the disease after the cancer spreads from the prostate because the test cannot accurately sort out deadly cancers from harmless cells.

From my own personal knowledge and experience, I can say that an irregular PSA test is no reason to rush to treatment. My husband had a problem of slowed urination, no pain and it was found that his prostate was enlarged and his PSA test was above normal. He knew that I am an alternative treatment advocate so he asked for my opinion and after much research, we decided to use Saw Palmetto and add raw pumpkin seeds to his oatmeal and mixed-nut snacks.

On his follow-up visit, his PSA test had returned to normal and is still normal today, several years later. He has also maintained his sexual health. So for those of you that want to try an alternative treatment, after your PSA test and wait to see the results of a follow-up, this would be my recommendation to mutilation of your manhood.

I am sure the debate will continue but let common sense prevail. A doctor once told me in a light-hearted manner that if you want to remain healthy you should stay away from doctors and stop having tests. He said if you have enough tests, you’re bound to find something that’s not quite right. An annual physical check-up is necessary, pap-smears for sexually active women and blood profiles are good markers for certain diseases but proceed with caution on harsh or drastic treatments and look for less invasive options.

Will Tubal Ligation Affect my Sexual Health?

Women all over the world get their fallopiun tubes tied after their second, third or the number of children that they plan to complete their family. It is the most popular form of birth control practiced by women because it can easily be done right after giving birth.

Myths prevail about sex and tubal ligation - the main one is that the procedure will affect hormones making the woman less interested in sex. When you get your fallopian tubes tied, it involves cutting or blocking off the tubes so that an egg and sperm cannot meet and cause a pregnancy.

The procedure does not alter your periods, affect the ovaries or the release of the hormones that are related to sexual desire. Tubal ligation may be one way to increase your sex drive because it removes the worry of getting pregnant so sex is more enjoyable and with fewer inhibitions. Plan to buy sexy lingerie and have an intimate dinner with your spouse to create the environment for sexual arousal to keep the zing in your relationship.

If you find that after giving birth you find your partner less attractive or your desire for sex decreases, you could be suffering from post-partum depression or you could need a little rest and relaxation away from the newborn baby.

If you lose your sex drive after coming off the pill after years of use, you may want to talk to your obstetrician-gynecologist about your decision, your stress levels, eating habits and how you are feeling so you can get the right help early.

If you are struggling with weight, are overweight or want to lose weight, death from breast cancer seems to increase with the amount of fat you have stored in your body. The colors of health article is another useful tool that can be used to control weight and improve eating habits for your overall good health. Walkfit for obesity is also a definite recommendation as this latest information is yet another compelling reason to reduce your weight and work at losing body fat.

The July issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology, Cambridge, U.K. released a report that says that a higher body mass index (BMI) is associated with a lower survival rate in women suffering from breast cancer. It was also found that a recent pregnancy is associated with a poorer prognosis as well.

If you are a woman with the highest BMI, then you are 52 percent more likely to die from breast cancer - your BMI is the ratio of weight to your height so start early before diagnosis to reduce the amount of fat that you have on your body by following a healthy diet and make exercise a daily habit.

This report also indicated that women who had four or more full-term pregnancies and women with a more recent pregnancy have significantly poor survival rates. A very surprising finding was that prognosis improved with light to moderate drinking - a reduction of 22 percent in the risk of dying with recent alcohol consumption.

Former First Lady Betty Ford, wife of U.S. President, Gerald Ford was one of the first high-profile women to publicly admit to having breast cancer. First Lady Ford is now 89+ and back in 1974 was candid about her condition and about her mastectomy.

One wonders if circumstance or socio-economic bracket may also contribute to a high death rate. Perhaps, it would be beneficial to study survivors like First Lady Ford to see if lifestyle along with weight loss or overweight are contributors to survival or death.

One thing is certain and that is cancer does not discriminate nor is it a disease of only the poor but more studies would be helpful in educating women about stress and how best they can protect themselves.

One major difference between my first delivery and the second is that no episiotomy was performed. I preferred this surgical procedure to tearing for two reasons: a straight cut of about 1.5 inches is more easily sewn and my vagina was returned to the same before birth taut state which helped my partner’s sexual experience.

By the way, for those of you who ever have to deal with hemorrhoids, a “sits bath” is excellent for quick results (got this tip from my Lamaze tutor). I used the Lamaze Technique for both my deliveries and the pain of childbirth was a tolerable, wonderful experience; although I believe that I have a high threshold for pain.

A local anesthetic was applied just before my final push and contrary to claims that healing time is 3-months, the cut healed in a few weeks or less especially if you sit in salt and water from day one or two - again based on your tolerance level. This reduces the chances of infection and reduces the healing time. Pelvic exercises can commence in a few days after a vaginal delivery to regain before birth stomach.

Eating healthy snacks and foods after delivery can also go a long way to recuperating from childbirth and help with muscle tone and quick weight loss.

Here are a few of my own tricks and tips to de-stress:

Make warm, comforting bath of 4 tbsp each of dried lavender, chamomile and violets and 3 tbsp of star anise or vanilla - this bath can wash away the stress and anxiety that make you a nervous wreck.

Peppermint is an excellent revitalizer as it clears the head and can increase alertness by stimulating the central nervous system. It relaxes tense muscles, reduces muscle spasms and can ease nausea.

There a many ways to enjoy the aroma of peppermint or spearmint but one of the best ways is as an inhaler: 25 drops of peppermint, 15 drops lime and 10 drops of cedarwood.

This is one of the best for mental clarity: 20-drops of lemon balm, 15-drops sweet basil and 15-drops of bay (laurel). All these can be used to make a soothing and relaxing bath or you can add any group to a glass bowl of hot water and lean over the container covering your head with a bath towel and inhale the steam.

Try eating steam vegetables and fish (brain food) which would be less stressful on your digestive system. Also, add berries you like to plain yogurt with molasses or honey if you want a sweeter taste than the fruit will provide as your snack.

Finally, make your own mood booster or fragrance oil to inhale whenever you want to deepen your feelings of harmony and keep the mood lasting throughout the day: 8-drops of jojoba oil, 4-drops bergamot oil, 4-drops neroli oil, 3-drops rose oil and 2-drops of orange oil - mix well together and pour into a dropper bottle.

You can dab any of these on the tip of your nose, under your lower lip or add a drop to your handkerchief to use as a refresher at certain periods during the day.

In today’s climate of “special interests”, we have to be very careful about the studies that are followed. We have to do our own research as to what information is in the best interest of the consumers and what is tainted by those with vested interests in the propaganda that is being circulated for those who stand to derive significant benefit.

Case in point is the most recent studies that are being circulated about coffee and the drinking of coffee for its health benefits. One might argue that everyone has a “special interest” but in the interest of your health, you are reminded of the following risk factors of coffee drinking as they relate to heart disease.

If you evaluate these seven risk factors, you must agree that the risk outweigh any benefits of coffee drinking. It’s better to substitute coffee with herbs such as roasted dandelion as it has a flavor that is very similar to regular coffee.