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Sports Nutrition Supplements WTS

4Rings — Tue, 10 Sep 2019 21:45:56 +0800

Item(s):
POWER WHEY 3kg
Massif XT 4kg

Package includes:
Available in chocolate, mocha and vanilla flavours

Price:
Power Whey RM190.00
Massif XT RM160.00

Warranty:New

[b]Dealing method:COD

Location:Ampang Jaya and Bandar Baru Ampang area

Contact method/details:PM me for details
---

Item(s) conditions:New

Picture:

Reason for sale: I am a seller

POWER WHEY 3KG RM190.00

MASSIF XT 4KG RM160.00

Pets Gathering.

4Rings — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 10:15:11 +0800

17th Mega Pets Gathering at Kg Sg Pusu Gombak yesterday.

[YOUTUBE]RvPZm3Z9vJ0[/YOUTUBE]

Bumper to bumper race.

4Rings — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 16:31:42 +0800

FRANKFURT—Global car sales at BMW AG and Volkswagen AG’s Audi brand rose to monthly records in May, putting the world’s two best-selling luxury-car makers on course for another bumper year as mass-market rivals in Europe remain under pressure.

“The current order intake proves that the first half of the year will exceed our expectations in all regions,” Audi sales chief Peter Schwarzenbauer said Monday.

“We have therefore now set ourselves a new target of 1.4 million deliveries for the year as a whole,” Mr. Schwarzenbauer said. That figure is a more precise and upbeat full-year outlook than Audi’s previous guidance, which projected overall car-market growth of at least 4% this year.

Audi narrowed the gap to market leader BMW in May, after overtaking Daimler AG’s Mercedes-Benz brand as the world’s No. 2 luxury-car maker by vehicle sales last year. Audi’s sales rose almost 14% to 128,900 cars last month, compared with a 6.6% increase to 129,150 cars at BMW’s namesake brand.

In the first five months of 2012, Audi’s sales rose 12% year-to-year to 600,200 cars. The BMW brand sold 607,207 vehicles world-wide, up 9.3%.

Global luxury-car sales have been largely unaffected so far by swirling economic concerns in Europe as governments have reduced public spending to try to bring their finances under control, damping overall demand for new cars. European auto-makers association ACEA warned last week that the market would shrink about 7% this year.

The contracting market is posing a significant problem for mass-market manufacturers with a strong reliance on European sales, such as PSA Peugeot-Citroën SA and Renault SA of France, Fiat SpA of Italy and the Opel/Vauxhall division of U.S.-based General Motors Co.

“Our growth in Europe continues to clearly buck the market trend, with especially stable development in Germany and the U.K.,” Mr. Schwarzenbauer said. He added that Audi is targeting annual sales records in both markets this year.

China has been the primary growth driver for global premium auto makers in recent months, followed by robust demand in the U.S.

Audi and BMW gave no hints that they expect the luxury-car boom to end any time soon.

“New products such as the BMW 6-series Gran Coupe, which we launched on June 1, as well as the new BMW 7-series, will continue to drive momentum,” said BMW sales chief Ian Robertson. “We are well on our way to achieving a new all-time high for sales in the year 2012.”

The Munich-based company is benefiting from a fresh lineup, including new versions of high-volume models such as the compact 1-series and the 5-series.

The revamped 5-series accounted for 32,236 car sales in May, up 22% year-to-year. Sales of the five-door BMW 1-series hatchback surged 59%to 14,748 cars. The new three-door version of the 1-series will be introduced in September along with a new generation of the 3-series Touring model.

Sales at BMW’s Mini brand improved 5.5% to 27,527 vehicles in May, driven by a 40% sales jump in China to 2,315 cars. The U.S. continued to be the brand’s largest single market, with 6,153 cars sold last month, up 6.1%.

Mini-brand sales totaled 119,532 vehicles for the first five months of 2012, up 7.9% from the year-earlier period.

Last week, Mercedes-Benz said it sold 113,136 cars world-wide in May, a 4% rise from the same month in 2011. Year-to-date, the company based in Stuttgart, Germany, posted an 8.4% rise in sales to 531,382 vehicles. Mercedes-Benz lost some ground to its rivals in the crucial Chinese market in recent weeks due to limited availability of a new generation of the company’s B-Class amid a model changeover.

Dangers of bubble tea.

4Rings — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:23:38 +0800

Bubble tea shops are popping up all over the place - in malls, on corners, and anywhere else thirsty teens tend to gather. Bubble tea, also called pearl milk tea or boba tea, originated in Taiwan and has become a worldwide sipping - and chewing - phenomenon.
But what is bubble tea anyway? Take a cup, plop in a handful of round, gelatinous pearls of tapioca, top it with brewed black or green tea, mix in some milk, sugar, flavouring, and ice. Then shake it all up, and you've got yourself a bubble tea.(1)

Bubble tea brings a lot of sweet excitement to our taste buds but it is also very harmful to health.
Milk essence(Non-Dairy or Dairy Creamers) is the main ingredient in bubble tea. Ten cups of fresh milk cannot match the taste of a teaspoon of milk essence.The main ingredient of milk essence is hygrogenated vegetable oil, a type of transfat(11). Experts says that a glass of 500ml of bubble tea a day far exceed the allowable limit of transfat for any person(2grams a day)(7). It will lead to heart and blood vessel diseases.(2)

Milk essence gives the bubble tea the fragrance and make it tasty. The fragrance and tastiness derived from a type of chemical. This chemical has trace of arsenic, lead, copper and many harmful minerals(6)(9)(10).Long term consumption can lead to heart and blood vessel disease, cancer, asthma and other health complications.(5)

In addition, the syrup used for the bubble tea found to be contaminated with with the cancer-causing plastic additive diethylhexyl phthalate.(12)(13)

Consuming the black bubbles pearls is equivalent to consuming plastic. Normally these bubbles were made from casava (tapioca) powder, which could lead to cyanide poisoning (8). This alone does not give the rubbery texture. To make it more rubbery, millet protein is added. Some “black hearted” businessmen felt that this is still not rubbery enough. so, an artificial plastic powder is added. This type of artificial plastic material will never be digested and absorbed into the body, and bear in mind, plastic is toxic to your body if consumed. It will remain in the body and cause havoc to our health. You can imagine what will happen to your health after prolonged consumption of transfat and plastic!!!!(3) (4)

Note: The article is not meant to accuse all bubble tea, but to lay out the risk that some unethical vendor would sell to you. Be very cautios, when you purchase food without a nutritional value or safety assurance.

FOR YOUR HEALTH SAKE, PLEASE ABSTAIN FROM BUBBLE TEA. Have it with caution !

Source:
(1) http://www.livestrong.com/article/418232-i...le-tea-healthy/
(2) http://www.chinapost.com.tw/health/heart/2.../Bubble-tea.htm
(3) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bubble_tea#Controversy
(4) http://www.whatsonxiamen.com/news20015.html
(5) http://www.chinapost.com.tw/taiwan/nationa.../Bubble-tea.htm
(6)http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2010/july/food/protein-drinks/what-our-tests-found/index.htm
(7)http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Trans-Fats_UCM_301120_Article.jsp
(8)http://www.livestrong.com/article/488622-risks-of-eating-tapioca/
(9)http://www.spendmatters.com/index.cfm/2009/8/6/The-Bubble-Tea-Scandal-China-Sickens-its-Own-Again
(10)http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/06/13/taiwans-plasticizer-food-scandal/
(11)http://www.chow.com/food-news/54362/what-is-nondairy-creamer/
(12)http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?sec=nation&file=/2011/6/17/nation/20110617211015
(13)http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2011/05/27/2003504256

Cholesterol and cancer

4Rings — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 06:30:47 +0800

QUOTE

If your doctor continues to get you worried about your high cholesterol levels, here's *a bit of news* for you...

In fact, your high cholesterol may be protecting you from cancer.

Today, I'll explain the truth behind the myth of cholesterol, and show you how to achieve heart health naturally.

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology revealed that driving down cholesterol levels actually increases the risk of cancer.

Researchers at the Tufts University School of Medicine found that among people taking "*statin drugs - like Lipitor and Zocor* - there was a higher* *rate of cancer*. Although the link between the drugs and cancer wasn't clear, there was no doubt that *drastically low cholesterol levels *correlated to cancer risk.

The big drug makers continue to sell the notion that the best way to fight heart disease is to lower LDL levels, the so-called "bad" cholesterol.

Yet 75 percent of people who suffer heart attacks have normal cholesterol levels.*

It makes sense that low cholesterol levels are linked to cancer because cholesterol is one of your body's basic building blocks. You need it to produce testosterone, to build and repair cell membranes, and to preserve your nerve cells through the formation of the protective "sheaths" that cover them.

Starving your body of this critical substance will lead to other health problems. We already know that extremely low cholesterol levels result in muscle weakness, fatigue, depression, decreased sex drive, and "brain fog." This new research shows that there may be even more deadly consequences*.

What really matters is not low "*bad" cholesterol, but high levels of HDL*, the so-called "good" cholesterol*. As long as you have a high HDL count - 75 to 80, for example - it doesn't matter whether your total cholesterol is 150 or 350. A high HDL will always keep your risk of heart disease extremely low.*

So why haven't you heard this already? It may be because there's *no drug that effectively raises good cholesterol levels*. You can only effectively do it naturally.

Consume natural fats. Avoid processed or fast foods containing* "trans" fats * - these man-made substances *were never meant for consumption*, and your body doesn't know what to do with them. They wind up clogging your arteries and putting you on the fast track to heart disease. *

Instead, get your fat from free-range or grass-fed animals, eggs, nuts, and unprocessed vegetable oils*. These are some of the healthiest foods you can eat. (As with all foods, look for organic or minimally processed options whenever possible.)

The health benefit of these natural fats comes from their balance of *Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids*. Your body needs both but, as with cholesterol, they have to be in balance. *Omega-3s are great for your heart. They've been shown to prevent irregular heartbeat, reduce clogging of the arteries, lower blood pressure, and decrease inflammation in body tissues*.

If you stick to eating *natural fats*, you'll automatically get the right ratio of Omega-6 and Omega-3, which is about 2:1. As an added bonus, you'll automatically raise your "good" cholesterol levels and you'll reduce your risk of cancer.

I knew about this long long time ago. I never bother to have my cholesterol check for more than 10 years. The pharma drugs companies brainwashed medical doctors (their licensed drug pushers) into thinking high cholesterol is a disease so that their drugs can sell. I have a friend who is a medical doctor who was very concerned about his cholesterol level. He suffered a mild heart attack in spite of having perfect cholesterol count. So why bother about your cholesterol count?

RED ALERT: FDA Set to Ban Your Supplements

4Rings — Wed, 14 Sep 2011 17:55:42 +0800

RED ALERT: FDA Set to Ban Your Supplements
Posted By Dr. Mercola | September 13 2011 | 145,342 views

The FDA has issued a proposed mandate that represents the greatest threat to dietary supplements since 1994. Back in the early 1990s, consumers were so alarmed by FDA bullying that they staged a massive revolt. The result was that Congress passed a law prohibiting the FDA from banning popular nutrients (as the agency had threatened to do).

There was, however, a loophole in the 1994 law. The FDA was given authority to regulate ingredients introduced after October 15, 1994.

It has been 17 years, but the FDA just issued draconian proposals as to how it intends to regulate what it now calls "new dietary ingredients". You can find the FDA Draft Guidance on New Dietary Ingredients (NDI's) here. If implemented, some of the most effective nutrients you are taking will be removed from the market. This includes many fish oil formulas and natural plant extracts. A detailed analysis of the FDA Draft Guidance is available here.

These oppressive rules are exactly what the 1994 law (DSHEA) sought to prevent. The FDA is using its authority in direct violation of Congressional intent.

In order for these ingredients you are using today to return to the market, the FDA will require manufacturers to conduct outrageously expensive studies using absurdly high doses, in some situations multiplied by a "safety factor" up to 2,000-times the recommended dosage on a per product basis.

The FDA defines dietary supplements as being "new" if they were introduced after October 15, 1994. That means that even certain nutrients that have been safely used over the course of three decades will be subject to the FDA's oppressive policies that mandate costly animal testing.

The FDA Views Supplements in Same Light as Synthetic Food Preservatives

According to the new guidelines, the FDA believes that "new dietary supplements" must be regulated similarly to synthetic food preservatives. The FDA guidelines have modeled the outrageous safety thresholds after those in place for food additives. This appears to be in direct violation of DSHEA, the law enacted in 1994 to protect consumer access to dietary supplements, which classifies dietary supplements as foods, not food additives.

The FDA proposes that new dietary supplement ingredients should adhere to aggressive safety margins, which are typically reserved for chemical compounds known to be dangerous in all but the most miniscule concentrations.

Since food additives or preservatives such as aspartame, monosodium glutamate, and sodium nitrate are known to cause cancer or other severe health problems, the FDA has implemented safety guidelines which limit allowable concentrations of these food additives to levels that are supposed to be physiologically inert.

The fact that the FDA is trying to impose the same limits upon dietary supplements seems to be arbitrary and completely unfounded. In fact, when someone takes a dietary supplement, their intent is to positively affect the structure or function of their bodies in some way – limiting dosages of dietary supplements to physiologically inert levels defeats the entire purpose of supplementation with health-sustaining nutrients.

The FDA's new guidelines are so flawed that even nutrients shown to be completely safe in hundreds of human clinical studies would fail to accommodate the unreasonable safety margins.

To give you an example, each manufacturer of certain fish oils would have to conduct a one year study where animals would have to consume the human equivalent of 240,000 milligrams each day of fish oil.

Another option under the FDA's proposed mandates is to conduct a 90-day, 1,000 – fold safety margin study in which two species of animals, one being non-rodent – likely young beagle dogs, will theoretically consume the equivalent of 2.4 million milligrams of fish oil daily. We know of virtually no species can tolerate this high dose, so by default, FDA guidelines will make it impossible for certain omega-3 supplements to be sold. (Note typical dose of EPA/DHA people take each day is around 2,400 mg—100 times less than what the FDA proposes must be tested.)

Since these are not patented drugs, no supplement maker will be able to afford these "safety" studies, which means that many of the nutrients you now purchase at low prices will convert into high-priced drugs.

Pharmaceutical Industry Profit Threatened By Low Cost Supplements

It appears that the FDA is claiming that dietary supplements are unsafe, and in order to "protect consumers" the agency must place a stranglehold on the dietary supplement industry by requesting exorbitant safety testing. These ludicrous safety thresholds are in excess of those required by pharmaceutical drugs despite studies showing supplements are far safer than drugs.

According to the 2001 report of the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC), of the substances implicated in fatal poisonings in 2001, 84.6 percent were pharmaceutical drugs, with analgesics being implicated as the primary cause of death in 32 percent of fatalities or 341 deaths. This compares with 0.8 percent for all dietary supplements combined, even including substances such as dinitrophenol, a dangerous (and illegal) substance banned in 1938, as well as the central nervous system stimulant Ma Huang (Ephedra). Interestingly, the anti-asthma drug theophylline alone was responsible for 15 deaths, 66 percent more than all the available dietary supplements combined.

There is, however, a massive economic benefit for the drug industry if the proposed guidelines are enforced by the FDA. Health conscious Americans who properly supplement slash their risk of degenerative disease. The FDA's new rules, if enacted, will force the price of many supplements to surge upwards, while removing many effective ones altogether. That means that more aging people will have to rely on side effect laden prescription drugs to treat the degenerative diseases they will contract because they will be denied access to health-promoting nutrients.

5 Surprising Signs of an Unhealthy Heart

4Rings — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 20:35:07 +0800

5 Surprising Signs of an Unhealthy Heart

By Melanie Haiken, Caring.com
Jum, Jun 24, 2011

We've all read the signs of a heart attack listed on posters in the hospital waiting room. But what if there were other, earlier signs that could alert you ahead of time that your heart was in trouble?

It turns out there are. Researchers have done a lot of work in recent years looking at the signs and symptoms patients experienced in the months or even years leading up to a heart attack. "The heart, together with the arteries that feed it, is one big muscle, and when it starts to fail the symptoms can show up in many parts of the body," says cardiologist Jonathan Goldstein of St. Michael's Medical Center in Newark, New Jersey. Here are five surprising clues that your heart needs checking out. Any of these signs -- and particularly two or more together -- is reason to call your doctor for a workup, says Goldstein.

1. Neck pain

Feel like you pulled a muscle in the side of your neck? Think again, especially if it doesn't go away. Post-heart attack, some patients remember noticing that their neck hurt and felt tight, a symptom they attributed at the time to muscle strain. People commonly miss this symptom because they expect the more dramatic acute pain and numbness in the chest, shoulder, and arm. Women in particular are less likely to experience heart pain that way, and more likely to feel twinges of pain and a sensation of tightness running along the shoulder and down the neck, says Margie Latrella, an advanced practice nurse in the Women's Cardiology Center in New Jersey and coauthor of Take Charge: A Woman's Guide to a Healthier Heart (Dog Ear, 2009). The pain might also extend down the left side of the body, into the left shoulder and arm.
Why it happens:

Nerves from damaged heart tissue send pain signals up and down the spinal cord to junctures with nerves that extend out into the neck and shoulder.
What distinguishes it:

The pain feels like it's radiating out in a line, rather than located in one very specific spot. And it doesn't go away with ice, heat, or muscle massage.

2. Sexual problems

Having trouble achieving or keeping erections is common in men with coronary artery disease, but they may not make the connection. One survey of European men being treated for cardiovascular disease found that two out of three had suffered from erectile dysfunction for months or years before they were diagnosed with heart trouble. Recent studies on the connection between ED and cardiovascular disease have been so convincing that doctors now consider it the standard of care to do a full cardiovascular workup when a man comes in complaining of ED, according to cardiologist Goldstein says. "In recent years there's been pretty clear evidence that there's a substantially increased risk of heart attack and death in patients with erectile dysfunction," Goldstein says.
Why it happens:

Just as arteries around the heart can narrow and harden, so can those that supply the penis. And because those arteries are smaller, they tend to show damage much sooner -- as much as three to four years before the disease would otherwise be detected.
What distinguishes it:

In this case, the cause isn't going to be immediately distinguishable. If you or your partner has problems getting or maintaining an erection, that's reason enough to visit your doctor to investigate cardiovascular disease as an underlying cause. "Today, any patient who comes in with ED is considered a cardiovascular patient until proven otherwise," says Goldstein.

3. Dizziness, faintness, or shortness of breath

More than 40 percent of women in one study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association, reported having experienced shortness of breath in the days before a heart attack. You might feel like you can't breathe, or you might feel dizzy or faint, as you would at high altitude. If you can't catch your breath while walking upstairs, vacuuming, weeding the garden, or doing other activities that previously caused you no trouble, this is a reason to be on the alert.
Why it happens:

Not enough blood is getting through the arteries to carry sufficient oxygen to the heart. The heart muscle pain of angina may also make it hurt to draw a deep breath. Coronary artery disease (CAD), in which plaque builds up and blocks the arteries that feed the heart, prevents the heart from getting enough oxygen. The sudden sensation of not being able to take a deep breath is often the first sign of angina, a type of heart muscle pain.
What distinguishes it:

If shortness of breath is caused by lung disease, it usually comes on gradually as lung tissue is damaged by smoking or environmental factors. If heart or cardiovascular disease is the cause, the shortness of breath may come on much more suddenly with exertion and will go away when you rest.

10 Ways You Can Help Prevent a Heart Attack

4. Indigestion, nausea, or heartburn

Although most of us expect pain from any condition related to the heart to occur in the chest, it may actually occur in the abdomen instead. Some people, particularly women, experience the pain as heartburn or a sensation of over-fullness and choking. A bout of severe indigestion and nausea can be an early sign of heart attack, or myocardial infarction, particularly in women. In one study, women were more than twice as likely as men to experience vomiting, nausea, and indigestion for several months leading up to a heart attack.
Why it happens:

Blockages of fatty deposits in an artery can reduce or cut off the blood supply to the heart, causing what feels like tightness, squeezing, or pain -- most typically in the chest but sometimes in the abdomen instead. Depending on which part of your heart is affected, it sends pain signals lower into the body. Nausea and light-headedness can also be signs that a heart attack is in progress, so call your doctor right away if the feeling persists.
What distinguishes it:

Like all types of angina, the abdominal pain associated with a heart problem is likely to worsen with exertion and get better with rest. Also, you're likely to experience repeated episodes, rather than one prolonged episode as you would with normal indigestion or food poisoning.

5. Jaw and ear pain

Ongoing jaw pain is one of those mysterious and nagging symptoms that can have several causes but can sometimes be a clue to coronary artery disease (CAD) and impending heart attack. The pain may travel along the jaw all the way to the ear, and it can be hard to determine which it's coming from, says cardiovascular nurse Margie Latrella. This is a symptom doctors have only recently begun to focus on, because many patients surveyed post-heart attack report that this is one of the only symptoms they noticed in the days and weeks leading up to the attack.
Why it happens:

Damaged heart tissue sends pain signals up and down the spinal cord to junctures with nerves that radiate from the cervical vertebrae out along the jaw and up to the ear.
What distinguishes it:

Unlike the jaw pain caused by temporomandibular joint disorder (TMJ), tooth pain, or ear infection, the pain doesn't feel like it's in one isolated spot but rather like it's radiating outward in a line. The pain may extend down to the shoulder and arm -- particularly on the left side, and treatments such as massage, ice, and heat don't affect it.

DEHP

4Rings — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 07:05:10 +0800

Chemical manufacturers say they will seek approval from the European Union to continue use of di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP), a plastic-softening phthalate that the EU is banning.

DEHP is among the first six compounds that the EU is phasing out under its Registration, Evaluation, Authorization & Restriction of Chemical substances (REACH) program. Sale or use of these six chemicals will cease in three to five years unless industry obtains authorization, the European Commission announced on February17, 2011.

In addition to DEHP, the ban affects two other phthalates—benzyl butyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate. The three phthalates are targeted because of reproductive toxicity. The EU already prohibits use of these three compounds in children's toys.

DEHP is highly lipophilic (fat soluble). When used in PVC plastic, DEHP is loosely chemically bonded to the plastic and readily leaches into blood or other lipid-containing solutions in contact with the plastic.

This leaching of DEHP into humans via the solution with which it is in contact increases the risk of certain adverse health outcomes. Animal studies show that exposure to DEHP can damage the liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system, particularly the developing testes of prenatal and neonatal males.

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Who would suspect that the everyday plastics in your house or the medical products used at your hospital would be made in such a way as to leach a toxic chemical into your body?

But this is exactly the case with DEHP.

This includes the IV tubing connecting your preemie to life-sustaining nutrition...And the teething toy your toddler chews on to relieve the pain in his gums...And the "Cinderella shoes" your little princess runs around in while playing dress-up.These common plastic products contain a toxic chemical that can potentially damage you or your child's liver, kidneys, lungs, and reproductive system—and particularly the developing testes of prenatal and neonatal boys.

Unfortunately, these products carry varying amounts of a chemical called di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate, or DEHP. DEHP is an industrial chemical used in vinyl-type plastics to make them soft and pliable. Unplasticized PVC is hard and brittle, so the DEHP polymer is added to soften it.

You can be exposed to DEHP through air, water, food, intravenous fluids, or skin contact with DEHP-containing plastics.

But before I go into the risks specific to DEHP, it is important to understand the chemical family to which it belongs, whose risks have been known for decades: the phthalates.

Phthalates: Industrial Strength Gender-Benders

DEHP is a phthalate, which is an ester of phthalic acid.

Phthalates are used as plasticizers in everything from vinyl flooring to detergents, hoses, raincoats, adhesives, air fresheners, and toys—and even in some soaps, shampoos, lotions and nail polish. They are also used as food additives and as "inert" ingredients in pesticides.

Phthalates are one of the groups of "gender-bending" chemicals causing males of all species to become more female. These chemicals have disrupted the endocrine systems of wildlife, causing testicular cancer, genital deformations, low sperm counts and infertility in a number of species, including polar bears, deer, whales and otters, just to name a few.

Scientists believe phthalates are responsible for a similar pattern in humans as well.
Disturbed lactation

And the really disturbing fact is that phthalates may now be present in all human beings. According to The Endocrine Society, there is credible scientific research linking phthalates with the following adverse health effects:
"Decreased dysgenesis syndrome": A syndrome involving cryptorchidism (undescended testicles), hypospadias (birth defect in which opening of urethra is on the underside of the penis instead of at the end), and oligospermia (low sperm count), and testicular cancer
Interference with sexual differentiation in utero Enlarged prostate glands
Impaired ovulatory cycles and polycystic ovary disease (PCOS) Numerous hormonal disruptions
Early or delayed puberty Breast cancer and uterine fibroids

Phthalates Detected in ALL Americans Tested

In 2000, the CDC discovered high levels of phthalates in all 289 adult Americans tested.

And the levels of some phthalates (including DEHP) in women of childbearing age exceeded the government's safe levels set to protect against birth defects, leading scientists to conclude phthalate exposures are "much higher and more common than previously suspected."

According to Environment California:

"In 2003, the CDC confirmed widespread contamination with the largest and most extensive U.S. survey of human chemical contamination to date, finding phthalates in virtually every person tested and the highest levels in children and women of reproductive age, demonstrating the potential for developmental effects on the fetus and children."

In 2008, due to pressure from the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and others, the U.S. Congress banned six phthalates from children's toys, adult toys and cosmetics. Legislators in Washington, Vermont, and California have also imposed restrictions on phthalates in children's goods.

Phthalates in our waterways pose another problem.

According to Dr. Gina Solomon, senior scientist with the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), phthalates have been found in more than 10 percent of streams sampled. Dr. Solomon urged Congress to address the problem of endocrine disruptors in drinking water in her testimony in February of 2010.

According to Dr. Solomon:

"Multiple contaminants are turning up in our nation's waterways, including in water millions of people rely on for drinking. Studies by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have revealed an unsavory mix of pharmaceuticals, steroid hormones, unregulated pesticides, flame retardants, rocket fuel chemicals, plasticizers, detergents, and stain repellants in both the surface water and the groundwater we rely on for drinking, and in our drinking water itself."

The only phthalate that has a maximum contaminant level (MCL) set for it by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is DEHP.

Unfortunately, the MCL for DEHP in drinking water was set way back in 1992, and it was not based on endocrine disrupting effects, but rather on gastrointestinal disturbances and vertigo, which have less serious biological ramifications than damage to your reproductive system.

But, could your highest risk for DEHP poisoning be from your medical care?

DEHP Exposure VERY High in Hospitals

One of DEHP's primary uses is in the medical industry—manufacturers add it to polyvinyl chloride (PVC) to make plastic equipment more flexible. DEHP in PVC extends the shelf life of red blood cells.

As warned in this FDA Alert, DEHP can be found in:
IV tubing and IV bags Nasogastric tubes
Umbilical artery catheters Tubing used in cardiopulmonary bypass procedures (CPB)
Blood bags and infusion tubing Ventilator tubing
Enteral nutrition feeding bags Tubing used during hemodialysis

In fact, these medical devices can contain 20 to 40 percent DEHP by weight—and IV tubing can contain up to 80 percent!

But can this chemical actually leach from the IV tubing into your baby?

Yes, it can and it does. Everyone is exposed to small levels of DEHP in everyday life, but your baby can be exposed to HIGH levels via certain medical procedures. You see, DEHP is not bound to the vinyl. It readily leaches out of these medical devices (the tubing or bag) into the solutions that come into content with the plastic, where it then goes directly into you or your child.

The degree of this leaching depends on the temperature, the lipid content of the solution, agitation of the solution, and the duration of its contact with the plastic (i.e., storage time). Of course, the more medical procedures your child requires, the higher the exposure to this chemical. So, babies who are seriously ill and hospitalized have the greatest risk of exposure, as well as being the most vulnerable to its effects.

Study Confirms Infants' DEHP Levels Rise After Medical Treatments

Evidence of DEHP exposure in infants can be measured by urinary levels of its metabolite (MEHP). One study of 54 neonates found that urinary MEHP levels increased with exposure to DEHP-containing medical products. The typical amount of DEHP neonates absorb, say in a blood transfusion, exceeds the "NOAEL" in animal studies—which stands for "No Adverse Effect Level." (And even the EPA states that DEHP animal studies are relevant to humans.)

According to a presentation by Sarah Janssen of the Natural Resources Defense Council, animal studies have uncovered the following developmental and reproductive toxicities from DEHP exposure:

Skeletal, cardiovascular, eye, male reproductive tract, and neural tube defects
Intrauterine death and increased post-natal death
Male and female infertility
Altered sexual differentiation of the male reproductive system

Besides endocrine and reproductive dysfunction, other effects of DEHP toxicity include abnormal platelet aggregation, and possibly microemboli during cardiopulmonary bypass surgery (presumably related to the massive amounts of plastic tubing and other plastic equipment being used).

According to Dr. Janssen, infants and children absorb DEHP more easily than adults, and the immature male reproductive tract is the most sensitive to DEHP toxicity.

An expert panel expressed "serious concern" for the possibility of adverse effects on the developing reproductive tract of male infants exposed to very high levels of DEHP, as with the intensive medical procedures used in the treatment of critically ill infants. The panel also expressed concern that DEHP exposure can negatively affect reproductive development in infants less than one year old.

And remember, you are exposed to many different phthalates from many different sources, which together have cumulative impacts.

Your child can ingest DEHP from something as simple as chewing on a plastic toy. In fact, one study was reported to have shown that this phthalate can go from plastics into laboratory-simulated saliva.

DEHP Is Also in Bottled Water, Pharmaceutical Drugs, and Your Cling Wrap

You can find DEHP in a variety of everyday household goods, such as:
Bottled water Wall coverings and floor tiles
Oral medications (some are coated with phthalates to control when the pills dissolve) Tablecloths
Packaging materials and plastic wrap Garden hoses
Toys and dolls Automobile upholstery
Plastic clothing, like raincoats and shoes Sheathing for wire and cable

DEHP contaminates the environment when it's released from the factories that use it, which is why levels are higher in industrial areas, and near landfills and waste disposal sites. Like the notorious pesticide DDT, DEHP attaches strongly to the soil and stays there for a very long time, and it's now being found in municipal drinking water supplies—and in the tissues of more and more people.

You can also inhale DEHP, because plastic materials in your home and car "outgas" into the air you breathe—think about it, that "new shower curtain smell."

Let's now consider another significant source of DEHP contamination: your drinking water.

Are Your Pipes Leaching DEHP into Your Water Supply?

In the United States and Canada, PVC pipes account for the largest majority of pipe materials used in buried municipal applications for drinking water and wastewater. In the U.S., PVC accounts for about 66 percent of the water distribution market.

If you have PVC pipes, you may have DEHP leaching into your water supply.

PVC is an organochlorine. Organochlorines are favored by industry because of their durability, but they persist in the environment for long periods of time, contributing to contamination. And PVC is one of the world's largest sources of dioxin—one of the most environmentally toxic chemicals in existence.

Dioxins are created in the manufacturing process of PVC, and are also released when it is burned, as with trash incineration—or in the unfortunate case of a house fire.

Just about the only way to tell if a PVC pipe contains DEHP is to ask the manufacturer, since there are so many different varieties and brands on the market today. Some contain plasticizers, and some don't. Some are designed for potable water, and some are designed for wastewater, or for agriculture. PVC pipes are produced to a variety of standards for pressure, temperature, strength and resistance to corrosion, depending on their intended use.

If it's flexible PVC, odds are that it's plasticized with DEHP.

The best option is to avoid PVC pipes altogether. There are greener, safer alternatives for all PVC uses, and many individuals, communities, and companies are phasing it out.

If you have PVC pipe from before 1977, you will definitely want to upgrade to a newer material. This "early-era" PVC pipe can leach a carcinogenic compound called vinyl chloride monomer into your water.

Alternatives to PVC Pipe for Your Plumbing

According to The Clean Water Pipe Council, the primary alternatives to PVC for water piping are:

Ductile iron—a flexible cast iron material with a graphite-like structure and suitable for potable water, as well as sewage.
HDPE (high-density polyethylene)—quite strong and flexible, durable, zero leakage, weather resistant, corrosion proof, recyclable
Concrete Pipe—the strongest pipe available, durable and sustainable.
Copper—an old standard, copper is durable, resists corrosion, bacteriostatic, reasonably flexible, easy to install, recyclable, and unaffected by ultraviolet rays.
PEX—cross-linked polyethylene pipe. Durable for extreme temperatures and chemical stresses, adaptable and easy to use, very flexible and can even be stretched around corners. However, it cannot be used outside and it's not recyclable.

Can DEHP Be Filtered Out of Your Drinking Water?

Under the 1974 Safe Drinking Water Act, the EPA set a maximum contaminant level (MCL) for DEHP of 0.006 mg/dL, or 6 ppb. (However, individual states are allowed to set more stringent drinking water MCLs.)

Note that the Safe Drinking Water Act regulates DEHP levels only for public water supplies, not for well water.

EPA states that granular activated carbon is sufficient to remove DEHP at the level of 6 ppb. However, one of the downfalls of granular carbon filters is that the loose material inside can create a channel—and this channel in the carbon material allows water to pass through, escaping filtering.

Your absolute best source of drinking water is from a mountain spring. However, it requires time and energy to collect it, depending on your location. (Check out FindASpring.com for help finding a spring near you.)

If a mountain spring is not feasible, then filtering your water is the next best option.

If you rely on a municipal water supply or even well water, I recommend a line of filter systems called Pure & Clear, certified by the California Department of Health, which has the highest standards of quality. They are reasonably priced and easy to use, and they excel at removing contaminants such as industrial solvents and synthetic chemicals, in addition to lead, chlorine, THMs, cysts, and the like.

Pure & Clear has a few models to choose from, depending on you your needs and budget.

Choose Your Water Bottles Carefully

Glass water bottles are best.

But if you feel you must use plastic, be sure to select a water bottle designed for reuse. These bottles will be labeled with one of the following numbers:

High-density polyethylene, labeled as "#2 HDPE"
Low-density polyethylene, labeled as "#4 LDPE"
Polypropylene, labeled as "#5 PP"

Above all, be sure to avoid all plastic bottles labeled "Nalgene", PVC #3, and Polycarbonate #7. These can leach potential endocrine disruptors like DEHP, bisphenol A, and even highly dangerous dioxins into their contents.

It's worth mentioning that not all plastics labeled as #7 contain BPA. For example, corn PLA plastic and other biodegradable and renewable resource resins are classified under #7 as well. Be sure you know what your #7 plastic is made from before using it.

Read, Read, READ Those Labels

And read the ingredient list on your product labels, if they are provided. You will rarely find the word "phthalate" on a label, but instead an abbreviation for the chemical name.

Besides DEHP, look for the following:

DBP (di-n-butyl phthalate)
DEP (diethyl phthalate)
BzBP (benzylbutyl phthlate)
DMP (dimethyl phthalate)

Also, be wary of anything listing a "fragrance," which often contains hundreds to thousands of compounds, and phthalates are often in the mix.

Make Sure Your Child Isn't "Playing with Fire"

Be careful that the toys you buy for your child are phthalate free. Fortunately, these toys are becoming easier to find all the time. Retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Sears, Kmart, and Toys "R" Us have begun to require their suppliers to eliminate PVC from many products and their packaging.

For more information see the EWG's Guide to Healthy Childcare.

Be Proactive with Your Medical Care

If you or your child must undergo medical procedures, do your best to ensure the tubing and bags do not contain DEHP.

The FDA states that many medical procedures can be done without DEHP-infused PVC materials (replacing them with PVC made of silicone, ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polyethylene, or polyurethane). They caution you to especially avoid DEHP-containing materials for medical procedures performed on "male neonates, pregnant women carrying male fetuses, and peripubertal males," which are the groups at highest risk of adverse effects.

Dr. Janssen of NRDC recommends that DEHP-containing products be labeled, and that the time blood products are stored in PVC bags be minimized. She also suggests workers take care not to overly warm or agitate IV solutions. She calls for the industry to immediately start changing their purchasing policies in favor of safer products.

For more information about phthalates in health care, go to Health Care Without Harm.

The following are signs that things are slowly moving in the right direction:

Microsoft has now completely eliminated most PVC products from its packaging
Kaiser Permanente has pledged to reduce PVC whenever possible in new construction
A few hospitals (such as Evergreen Hospital in Kirkland, WA) have eliminated nearly all PVC products from their neonatal intensive care units
Seattle and Olympia, WA, have passed resolutions to seek alternatives to PVC for city operations

If you suspect that you or your child has experienced an adverse effect from DEHP, or any other chemical, please report it to the USDA MedWatch center. The more adverse effects are reported, the faster positive changes will come about.

The Hidden Diabetes Link ....

4Rings — Tue, 29 Mar 2011 21:40:59 +0800

The Hidden Diabetes Link No One is Telling You About...

By Suzy Cohen, R.Ph.

Coronary heart disease is a leading cause of death in the United States, killing one in five adults, and doctors are very quick to prescribe statins. In fact, statin drug sales rank in the billions each year globally.

These drugs are so pervasive that they are no longer just indicated for hypercholesterolemia, they are also being prescribed for elevations in C reactive protein, and are promoted for kids as young as eight years old.

Heart disease is so pervasive that some have boldly suggested that we should put statins in our water supply as some kind of protection.

This is very disturbing.

Do You Really Need a Statin Drug?

By far, statin drugs are the most popular cholesterol-lowering drugs available today. They work in your liver by preventing your body from making cholesterol. The drugs block an enzyme called HMG-CoA Reductase. This can be helpful, but only if you are one of those people who happen to produce too much cholesterol.

It doesn't do a good job at removing it from your clogged arteries, contrary to what most people think.

Physicians and health experts now agree that statins seem to offer more benefit through their ability to reduce dangerous inflammatory chemicals in your body, rather than by reducing production of cholesterol, which usually leads to uncomfortable, unwanted and dangerous side effects. One study found that lowering cholesterol too much actually backfires.

Cholesterol is good for you; it's one of your body's most powerful antioxidants, it makes important neurotransmitters and sex hormones so this madness to lower it as much as possible really concerns me. Plus, I believe the indiscriminate use of statins has contributed to the staggering rise in diabetes…

The Statin—Diabetes Connection Few People Know About

I watched this happen to my mom who was given a statin, and then told months later she suddenly had diabetes. All of a sudden? This happened many years ago, and it began my search to understand the connection. It also prompted me to write a book on the subject entitled "Diabetes Without Drugs" (Rodale, 2010).

It typically happens like this:

Many statin users come back to see their physician for a routine visit and after the blood work is drawn, they find their cholesterol ratios may be improved, but now they have high blood glucose.

It's entirely possible that some physicians then mistakenly diagnose their patients with "Type 2 diabetes" when in fact they just have hyperglycemia—a side effect, and the result of a medication that was prescribed to them months earlier.

Do you think you have type 2 diabetes?

I will provide more information so you can see for yourself that so-called "diabetes" diagnosis might not really be genuine diabetes. It may just be hyperglycemia (high blood sugar)—the result of your cholesterol medication, and for some people, it may be reversible with drug discontinuation. Whether or not you are able to discontinue your medication is between you and your physician.

Research Suggesting Raised Blood Sugar is a Side Effect of Statin Use

Several studies have indicated that statins can cause high blood sugar, which can be mistaken for "diabetes." For example, researchers in Glasgow, Scotland conducted a meta analysis, known as the JUPITER trial, which took into account 13 statin trials that each included 1,000 patients or more. The participants were followed for over than a year. The conclusion was there was indeed an increase, albeit small, in the development of Type 2 diabetes.

It should be considered that some of the patients in this meta analysis already had symptoms of insulin resistance or metabolic syndrome, so it could be said that they were on their way to diabetes anyway.

Now consider another meta-analysis published in the Lancet Here, the researchers reviewed randomized controlled trials beginning in 1994 and ending in 2009, for a total of 91,140 participants who took either a statin or a placebo.

They found that people treated with statin drugs showed a nine percent increase for diabetes. They did not evaluate other factors however, which would be considered pre-diabetes, so I suspect their nine percent number to be on the low side.

Insulin is a pancreatic hormone that reduces blood sugar. You want some insulin to maintain blood glucose levels, but too much of it is bad—it's an inflammatory compound in your body when it is elevated. And guess what? The use of statin drugs appears to INCREASE your insulin levels! High insulin is extremely harmful to your health.

For starters, elevated insulin levels lead to heart disease, and isn't that the reason cholesterol drugs are prescribed in the first place?

The ratio of glucose to insulin should be less than 10:1, this ratio is far more important than the levels of glucose or insulin alone. Keep that in mind if you seek a complete recovery. For more information about the harmful effects of elevated insulin levels, see my article on dearpharmacist.com, or my book Diabetes Without Drugs.

You want to keep insulin normal, to protect yourself from heart disease and high blood pressure. Chronically elevated insulin causes a cascade of inflammatory chemicals and high cortisol which lead to belly fat, high blood pressure, heart attacks, chronic fatigue, thyroid disruption, plus major diseases like Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and cancer.

Unfortunately, the most popular cholesterol drugs in the world seem to increase insulin levels. However, that's just one mechanism by which these drugs can raise your risk for diabetes.

How Statins Raise Your Insulin

Keeping things simple, you might imagine it like this: When you eat a meal that contains starches and sugar, some of the excess sugar goes to your liver, which then stores it away as cholesterol and triglycerides. Now stay with me -- when you have a statin on board, it's like a message to your liver saying, "No! Don't make any more cholesterol, please stop."

So your liver sends the sugar back OUT to your bloodstream. As a result, your blood sugar goes up.

In 2009, it was proven that statins could directly raise blood sugar, whether or not you have diabetes. Over 340,000 people were included before this conclusion was made. The people who did not have diabetes but took statins experienced a rise in blood glucose from 98 mg/dl to 105 mg/dl. Those who already had diabetes and also took statins experienced a rise from 102 mg/dl to 141 mg/dl.

After adjustments for age and medication use were considered, researchers concluded that both diabetic and non-diabetic statin users showed a statistically significant rise in blood sugar.

Why take all these risks, just to get the convenience of taking a pill instead of eating a better diet and exercising?

It's been scientifically discussed and even published in JAMA that eating a better diet could lower cholesterol as well as the statin drug lovastatin.

And of course, there are so many other benefits to eating a healthier diet that consists of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and lean meats. Besides feeling better and increasing lifespan, you can squeeze into those skinny jeans you're hiding in your closet.

Another way statins can affect your blood sugar is via their "drug mugging" effect. A drug mugger is my term, and the title of my newest book, which describes how a drug can rob your body's warehouse of a valuable nutrient. In the case of statins, they rob your body of two different nutrients, both of which are needed to maintain ideal blood sugar.

Two Important Nutrients Decimated by Statins

The first nutrient that is mugged is vitamin D. There have been mixed studies regarding the D-depletion effect of statins, but statins reduce your body's natural ability to create active vitamin D called 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol, shortened to "calcitriol" when it is eventually converted to its active hormone form.

This happens because statins reduce cholesterol, and you need cholesterol to make vitamin D! It is the raw material that exposure to UVB from sunlight will convert to vitamin D.

It is well documented that D improves insulin resistance, so needless to say, when you take a drug mugger of vitamin D (like statins), then you increase your risk for diabetes.

More specifically, a 2004 study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition determined that raising a person's serum vitamin D levels (from 25 to 75 nmol/l) could improve insulin sensitivity by a whopping 60 percent.

Compare that to the blockbuster diabetes drug metformin, one of our pharmaceutical gold-standards, which can dispose of blood sugar by a meager 13 percent according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Now, statins also suppresses your natural coenzyme Q10— also called "ubiquinol" in its active form; it makes energy for every cell in your body, and it's produced mainly in your liver.

This powerful antioxidant just so happens to also play a role in maintaining blood glucose. When you deplete levels of CoQ10 by taking a drug mugger of it, like a statin drug, then you lose that benefit. You also raise your risk for heart failure, high blood pressure and heart disease as CoQ10 deficiencies can contribute to those conditions. A study by Hodgson et al, published in 2002 found that 200mg CoQ10 taken daily caused a 0.4 percent reduction in hemoglobin A1c.

Moreover, CoQ10 protects your body from oxidative stress, a strong contributing factor in the development of diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart attacks. You want to make sure you have enough CoQ10 (or ubiquinol) on board to protect every cell in your body. The take home point is that statins annihilate this compound and you need it for good health.

In summary, if you take a statin medication and you've been told that you have diabetes, it may be drug-induced, and it's possible that it can be reversed over the course of time. However, you will have to eat right, exercise, and take supplements that help to lower your risk for heart disease naturally.

Iron and cancer

4Rings — Mon, 28 Mar 2011 06:42:58 +0800

NEW Studies Reveal Alarming Hidden Cause of Breast Cancer

By Russell L. Blaylock, MD, CCN

Breast cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death in women worldwide and breast cancer rates are increasing rapidly.

A compelling number of studies, though not all, have shown that free iron concentrations in breast tissue, especially the ductal tissue, is playing a major role in stimulating cancer development and eventual progression to aggressive, deadly cancers.1,2

Cancers are Very Dependent on Iron

Iron is needed for DNA replication in rapidly dividing cells.3

A recent report from the Department of Biomolecular Sciences in Urbino Italy, found that fluid taken from the nipple of cancer patients contained significantly higher levels of aluminum than did nipple fluid taken from women without breast cancer—approximately twice as much aluminum.4

A number of studies have found that extracting nipple fluid by a breast pump (in both premenopausal and postmenopausal women) is a simple way to study the microenvironment of the ductal tissue, the site of development of most breast cancers.5

Examining this ductal fluid is an excellent way to measure such things as iron levels, ferritin (an iron-binding protein), CRP (a measure of breast inflammation) and aluminum.

The researchers also found that women with breast cancer had much higher levels of ferritin, an iron transport protein, in their breast fluid, which was 5X higher in women with breast cancer.6

This observation has been confirmed in other studies.

In previous studies researchers found that one's intake of iron did not necessarily correlate with risk of breast cancer, but rather the release of iron from its protective proteins, such as ferritin and transferrin was critical.7

This distinction is very important and explains why some studies found no link between iron intake in the diet and breast cancer incidence.8

Free Iron Can Be Very Dangerous

Over 90% of iron absorbed from your diet is normally bound to these protective proteins. Recent studies have shown that some things we do can cause too much of the iron to be released into surrounding tissues, and if this iron exists as free iron, it can trigger intense inflammation, free radical generation and lipid peroxidation.

Bound iron is relatively harmless.

So, what can cause these protective proteins to release their iron?

One factor is an excessive alcohol intake. Studies by Lee et al have shown that women who drink greater than 20 grams of alcohol a day significantly increase the free iron in their breast tissue and have a higher incidence of invasive breast cancer—the most deadly form.9

It has also been shown that excessive estrogen can displace iron from its protective proteins, thus increasing free iron levels and associated breast cancer risk. 10 This helps explain the link between high estrogen levels and breast cancer.

Of more importance than the total intake of iron is where the iron ends up that is absorbed from your food.

As stated, most of it is bound to protective proteins, such as transferrin in the blood and ferritin within cells. If you have a lot of extra space within these proteins for binding iron, then a high dietary iron intake would be less harmful.

Previously it was thought that a spillover of free iron occurred only when the protective proteins (tranferrin and ferritin) were fully saturated, as we see with the condition hemochromatosis.

How Aluminum and Alcohol Worsen Iron Toxicity

We now know that both aluminum and alcohol can displace the iron from its protective proteins, raising the level of harmful free iron, even when these protective proteins are not fully saturated with iron.9

If this occurs within the breast, as this study demonstrates, free iron levels in the breast ductal tissue can become dangerously high and over time induce malignant tumor formation.

The question to be asked is--where did the aluminum come from?

The authors of the paper suggested underarm antiperspirants as a possibility. But, there is another source that is becoming increasingly a problem and that is from vaccine adjuvants.

Vaccines are a Major Source of Aluminum for Many

Many inactivated vaccines contain aluminum salts to boost the immune reaction. Studies have shown that this aluminum is slowly dispersed all over the body and may be concentrated in breast ducts.11

The amount of aluminum in vaccines is tremendous, especially in such vaccines as the anthrax vaccine, hepatitis vaccine and tetanus vaccine.

Since many American children are being exposed to multiple doses of aluminum containing vaccines by the time they are 6 years old, one would expect very high exposures to injected aluminum.

A recent study by Lucija Tomljenovik and Chris Shaw found that a newborn receives a dose of aluminum that exceeds FDA safety limits (5mg/kg/day) for injected aluminum by 20-fold, and at 6 months of age a dose that was 50-fold higher than FDA safety limits.12

Aluminum at this young age will accumulate in various tissues and with new vaccine recommendations, children and young adults may be exposed to many more aluminum containing vaccines every year throughout life.

With the ability of aluminum to displace iron from its protective proteins, we may not only see a dramatic increase in breast cancer, but also other iron-related diseases, such as liver degeneration, neurodegenerative disease, diabetes, heart failure and atherosclerosis.13 No one is addressing this very real danger.

Is it OK to shave your armpit hairs?

4Rings — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 14:37:45 +0800

Is it OK to shave your armpit hairs?
Many people complain about armpit hair. Armpit hair causes body odor and they are very unsightly. The negative attributes of armpit hair are seemingly evident at first glance. Are armpit hairs really a nuisance or at the very least unnecessary to the human body?
Arguably, the smelliest part of the body is the armpit. The reason behind is that the underarm hair is a trap for bacteria, sebum, and pheromones. Bacteria plus sebum equals
odor. And pheromones? Well they’re the sexual chemicals that the body produces and they are contributory to the growing “smell pool.” In modern times, it is considered very
unattractive, especially for women, to have thick armpit hairs.. To some cultures, it is even required for women to shave underarm hair While some European women don’t shave their armpits as defiance to imposed cultural codes, it is necessary for
Islamic women to do so. But in many East Asian countries like China , Japan and
Korea , keeping armpit hair is perfectly normal. Even in India , it is 100% alright to keep your armpit hair on. While it is a common belief that shaving will produce even thicker growth, there is absolutely no truth to this at all. The reason is that the number of hair follicles isn’t affected by shaving.

It may seem that armpit hair grows more aggressively than other hairs, but shaving the armpit occurs more frequently simply because it grows faster than the leg-hair.

Armpit hair provides lubrication and lessens the friction of the skin between your arm and your body. The production of sebum prevents the skin from drying and cracking.

Without armpit hair, the armpits would be susceptible to wounds and sores similar to a diaper rash in baby bottoms. Sex pheromones are also spread through olfactory means,
thus adding emphasis to smell. Pheromones serve to attract the opposite sex and have an important role in sexual attraction. Connected to the armpit hair are various sensory nerve
endings. This explains where the pain comes from whenever armpit hairs are plucked.The arrector pili muscle is connected to each hair follicle and together, the hair, hair shaft, arrector pili muscle, and sebaceous gland, are known as the pilisebaceous unit. The armpit hair is known this way simply because it is located under your arms! Most people find long armpit hair unattractive, which may lead to insecurities and other psychosocial problems.

Rest assured that your underarm forest has its very own unique purpose. It’s just a matter of taking the good with the bad. In exchange of body odor, or being unattractively long (it depends on preference), underarm hair provides less friction to your armpits, and releases sexual hormones to attract the opposite sex. The pheromones are the sex chemicals produced by our body to attract mates.

Armpit hair acts as a collector of pheromones or a pheromone trap, if you can call it that. The more pheromones there are, the more attractive you are to the opposite sex. The only catch is that you might stink a little, but it’s undeniable that you’re getting the attention
of your potential mate at a hormonal level. We tend to underestimate scent as a tool for sexual attraction, but no one can deny that pheromones could be useful.

On Amazon, you can find lots of Pheromone Colognes listed. These are basically colognes with pheromones added to them.Think before you shave…

So if you are looking to completely remove your armpit hairs, think again. They serve their very own purpose. If length turns out to be too much of a bother, regular trimming and maintenance will do. And don’t forget to take a bath regularly, especially when the hormones are starting to rage. You want to attract a mate with your pheromones, not overwhelm them. Keep in mind that armpit hairs are more help than they look.

My pet parrot 2

4Rings — Sun, 09 Jan 2011 12:23:18 +0800

Took some pics of my parrot yesterday evening. Some of the pics are not so sharp.
Taken with Nikon D80/ kit lens on shutter speed priority set at 1/500 sec/ ISO 400.

C&C are welcome.

My pet parrot

4Rings — Sat, 01 Jan 2011 17:12:25 +0800

There is nothing special about these pictures. Just shot some yesterday for your pleasure viewing. If you want to C&C, you are most welcome.

[addedon]January 6, 2011, 9:09 pm[/addedon]

Trekking to Lawing Falls

4Rings — Mon, 27 Dec 2010 06:29:25 +0800

Kanching Falls

4Rings — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:25:19 +0800

Feel free to drop in your C&C. Thanks.

#1

#2

#3

#4

The new Audi A6 (C7)

4Rings — Fri, 03 Dec 2010 20:15:16 +0800

The new A6 will be available next year. Hurry, book now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM8n_c-ez6k

[YOUTUBE]<object width="640" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/qM8n_c-ez6k?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/qM8n_c-ez6k?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="640" height="385"></embed></object>[/YOUTUBE]

(WTS) Pure Whey Protein Isolate.

4Rings — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 10:28:11 +0800

100% WHEY PROTEIN ISOLATE.

Whey protein isolate is the cleanest and highest quality form of whey protein. Isolation of the whey removes the lactose and fat from concentrate form. It has a higher protein per serving ratio than whey concentrate. Whey protein isolate yields over 90 grams of protein per 100 grams of whey. It is virtually fat and lactose free. Whey Protein Isolate yields a higher amount of BCAA’s, half of which come from the essential amino acids.

Our whey protein isolate is manufactured in the USA. It comes directly from the manufacturing plant. The powder is repacked into 1.5kg aluminium bag in a MOH certified GMP factory. The whey protein isolate is in its original form without flavourings, sweeteners nor additives.

Nutritional Fats.
1 scoop 20g
Protein 18g
Carb/ Lactose 0
Fats 0

Selling Price
RM130.00 each
RM240.00 for every 2 bags.

Postage by Pos Malaysia Parcel (for 2 bags).
West Malaysia RM10
East Malaysia RM22

COD can be arranged at Ampang Jaya, Bandar Baru Ampang or Ampang Waterfront.

...............................................................................................................

GLUCOSE POLYMERS

Scientific Description
This complex carbohydrate is otherwise known as a glucose polymer. Glucose Polymer has the highest rating on the glycemic index of 100. Texture is a fine white powder possessing a bland taste and excellent dispersion in water or other beverages. Glucose Polymer increases the mixability of protein powders when added to them.

Typical Analysis of 100 grams
Base Common Starch
Moisture 5.0 %
Dextrose Equivalent 18.0

Total Carbohydrates - 93.8 gms
Sugars 9.1 gms
Protein 0.1 gms
Calories 368
Sodium 62.3

Carbohydrate Composition
Monosaccharides 4.5 %
Disaccharides 4.5 %
Trisaccharides 4.5 %
Tetrasaccarides & higher 86.5 %

Bodybuilding and Athletic Supplementation Description
Glucose Polymer is most commonly found in popular "weight gain" formulas and in "Meal Replacement Powders". Glucose Polymer should be used by anyone wishing to increase their muscle mass and strength, without the complications of simple sugars. The most important use for glucose polymer is post-workout. Glucose Polymer has the ability to replace glycogen stores quickly and spare amino acid catabolism. Glucose Polymer will raise one insulin level, making them more apt to absorb more nutrients. Takes the guess work out of carbohydrate intake after workouts. Also recommended for bodybuilders on low carbohydrate diets to prevent glyconeogenesis, though timing is crucial. Glucose Polymer is also used to increase vascularity of the muscle and give one the "pumped" look. Do NOT use Glucose Polymer if you wish to reduce bodyfat. Glucose Polymer will make you more apt to gain bodyfat because of its high glycemic rating.

Our Glucose Polymer is packed in 1.5kg bag.

Selling price is MYR30.00 per bag. Or MYR75.00 for 3 bags.

..........................................................................

COD can be arranged at Ampang Jaya, Bandar Baru Ampang or Ampang Waterfront.

Nikkor AF 50mm f1.8D and AF-S DX 35mm f1.8G

4Rings — Sat, 26 Jun 2010 10:22:12 +0800

Hi Sifus,

I own a D80. I thought of getting a standard lens. I am looking at these 2 lenses.

Can the AF 50mm f1.8D functions 100% on my D80 like the DX lens? What's the difference between the 2. I would prefer the AF lens as it is 1/2 the price of the DX's if it works like the DX.

Vitamin D and Flu

4Rings — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 07:02:08 +0800

Get your sunshine, friends.

QUOTE

Vitamin D Deficiency is Why You Get Flu!
Posted by Dr. Mercola | March 25 2010 | 34,232 views
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flu, vitamin DA new study has confirmed that vitamin D plays an important role in activating your immune defenses against infectious diseases like the flu.

Vitamin D deficiency has already been linked to a wide spectrum of diseases including heart disease, cancer, diabetes, depression, autoimmune disease and many others.

The new study discovers that activation of T-cells to fight infections needs definite help from vitamin D. When a T cell recognizes foreign invaders like bacteria or viruses, it sends activating signals to the vitamin D receptor gene. The VDR gene then starts producing DVR protein, which binds vitamin D in the T cell. Then the vitamin D bound and activated DVR produces PLC-gamma1 protein -- which allows the T cell to get started fighting the infection.

Dr. John Cannell has also reported that vitamin D helps produce antibacterial peptides that help protect against the flu. That is why in winter, when there is little sunshine, people are more prone to vitamin D deficiency and getting infected with flu viruses.
Sources:
Food Consumer March 7, 2010
Nature Immunology March 7, 2010 [Epub ahead of print]
Eurekalert March 3, 2010
Reuters March 7, 2009
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition March 10, 2010 [Epub ahead of print]

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This confirmation is exciting, if for no other reason than the fact that curing vitamin D deficiency is not only inexpensive – it may in some cases cost you nothing!

And, optimizing your vitamin D levels can have a remarkably positive effect on your overall health and helps protect you against a vast number of diseases that are far more serious than the flu.

Vitamin D actually works by increasing your body's production of 2-300 different antimicrobital peptides that are actually far more effective than any synthetic antibiotic or antiviral. They do this at a fraction of the cost and at virtually no toxicity.

How Vitamin D Protects You from the Flu and Other Infections

Backing up Dr. Cannell’s previous theory that the flu may simply be a symptom of vitamin D deficiency, this latest study, published this month in the journal Nature Immunology, explains the mechanics of vitamin D’s protective nature.

Lead researcher Carsten Geisler told Food Consumer:

"When a T cell is exposed to a foreign pathogen, it extends a signaling device or 'antenna' known as a vitamin D receptor, with which it searches for vitamin D.

This means the T cell must have vitamin D or activation of the cell will cease. If the T cells cannot find enough vitamin D in the blood, they won't even begin to mobilize."

That said, no wonder flu shots don’t work!

Flu shots do absolutely nothing to address the underlying problem of vitamin D deficiency, which is effectively hindering your immune system from working properly. In fact, flu vaccines deteriorate your immune system even further, and their side effects can be potentially lethal.

Again, I’ve frequently written about the importance of maintaining a robust immune system to ward off both minor and major disease, and understanding the role vitamin D plays in allowing your immune system to activate to begin with, could make a radical difference in your health.

Yet another study published this month found that schoolchildren who received supplemental vitamin D had far fewer incidents of both flu and asthma attacks.

The randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial compared two groups of schoolchildren, from December, 2008 through March, 2009.

One group of 167 children received 1,200 IU’s of vitamin D3 daily. The other group, consisting of an equal number of children received a placebo. Only 18 of the children in the vitamin D group came down with influenza, compared to 31 of the children in the control group.

They also found that:

"… in children with a previous diagnosis of asthma, asthma attacks as a secondary outcome occurred in 2 children receiving vitamin D(3) compared with 12 children receiving placebo.”

These are significant differences. And best of all, optimizing your family’s vitamin D levels to reap these kinds of rewards is so easy!

Sources of Vitamin D

Ideally, the best way to get your vitamin D is by exposing your skin to sunlight. The vitamin D generated in your skin from exposure to UV-Bs in sunlight acts as a pro-hormone, rapidly converting into 25-hydroxyvitamin D, or vitamin D3.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of people in the U.S. cannot possibly receive enough UV-B to generate optimal levels of vitamin D from September to mid-April.

Also keep in mind that sunny and hot weather is not necessarily a reliable indicator of the amount of UV-B present. If your latitude is above 30 degrees north or below 30 degrees south, you will likely benefit from vitamin D supplementation from September to mid-April.

In those cases, you can either opt to use a safe tanning bed, or take an oral form of vitamin D3 (cholecalciferol) .

If you don't know the latitude of your city you can use a latitude finder. If your latitude is lower than 30 degrees, then you have access to good sunshine and may not need vitamin D supplementation.

What You Need to Know about Dosing

It’s also important to realize that even though the recommended daily allowances (RDA’s) for some age groups have recently been increased, they’re still woefully inadequate for most.

For example, at the end of 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics doubled its recommended dose of vitamin D for infants, children and adolescents, raising it from 200 to 400 units per day. But recent research reveals children may need ten times that amount in order to receive the health benefits that optimal vitamin D levels have to offer.

Based on the latest research, many experts now agree you need about 35 IU’s of vitamin D per pound of body weight. This recommendation also includes children, the elderly and pregnant women.

However, keep in mind that vitamin D requirements are highly individual, as your vitamin D status is dependent on numerous factors, such as the color of your skin, your location, and how much sunshine you’re exposed to on a regular basis. So, although these recommendations may put you closer to the ballpark of what most people likely need, it is simply impossible to make a blanket recommendation that will cover everyone’s needs.

The only way to determine your optimal dose is to get your blood tested. Ideally, you’ll want to maintain a vitamin D level of 50-65 ng/ml year-round.

I recommend using Lab Corp in the U.S. If you get it done by Quest, you’ll need to divide your result by 1.3 to get an accurate reading. For more important information about vitamin D testing, please review this previous article.

Vitamin D, a Viable Treatment for Depression, Diabetes, and More?

I also find it encouraging to see that researchers are now starting to delve deeper into vitamin D’s impact on depression, and even blood sugar control.

One intriguing connection between depression and vitamin D levels is the link between depression and inflammation.

As you just read above, sufficient vitamin D is imperative for proper functioning of your immune system to combat inflammation, and other research has discovered that depressed people tend to have higher levels of inflammation in their brains. Ditto for those with Alzheimer’s disease.

Other diseases caused by low-level, chronic inflammation include cancer, arthritis, and chronic fatigue, just to name a few. And yes, vitamin D has been found to play a major role in all of those ailments too, and more.

Just take a look at this list of common chronic diseases that researchers have linked to vitamin D deficiency:
Cancer Hypertension Heart disease
Autism Obesity Rheumatoid arthritis
Diabetes 1 and 2 Multiple Sclerosis Crohn’s disease
Cold & Flu Inflammatory Bowel Disease Tuberculosis
Septicemia Signs of aging Dementia
Eczema & Psoriasis Insomnia Hearing loss
Muscle pain Cavities Periodontal disease
Osteoporosis Macular degeneration Reduced C-section risk
Pre eclampsia Seizures Infertility
Asthma Cystic fibrosis Migraines
Depression Alzheimer’s disease Schizophrenia

And as if that wasn’t enough, a 2008 meta-analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials concluded that supplemental vitamin D significantly reduces mortality from ALL causes!

Clearly, a large number of health problems and potentially lethal diseases are directly or indirectly caused by chronic inflammation in your body, which makes the recommendation to optimize your vitamin D levels a no-brainer.

Important Personal Update

I have done a personal experiment over the past few years and have not taken any oral vitamin D when I leave Chicago's dark and cold winters for sunny and warmer weather. Before I leave, my levels run about 60-65 ng/ml.

But after sufficient and safe exposure to daily sunshine for three months, for a number of years, when I return home, my levels have always been about 75 ng/ml. When this first happened I was concerned and believed that they were too high. But after four years in a row of these levels I am coming to believe that this may actually be a healthier normal.

Based on my personal experience, I believe it is likely the optimal range could be about 75 ng/ml. Part of this is also based on studies of lifeguards who are in the sun most of the day during the summer. Their levels rise to 100 ng/ml.

I typically get 1-3 hours of sun on my body while I am shirtless and wearing shorts. So it is important to understand that you are not going to achieve these high levels unless you can expose large portions of your body to the sun.

You simply will not achieve these levels by exposing your face and lower arms to the sun. There just isn’t enough surface area to collect enough UVB.

But please be careful to protect your face. You should avoid using your face as a UVB collector as that skin is too thin and fragile, and most susceptible to photo aging.

I personally wear a cap to put my face in shade but you can also use a safe sun screen, especially around your eyes.

Improve Your Health and be Part of Worldwide Public Health Campaign

Carole Baggerly, founder of GrassrootsHealth and a major vitamin D proponent, is currently studying the long-term health effects of vitamin D. She was also instrumental in getting Canadian health authorities to investigate the use of vitamin D against the swine flu last year.

D*Action is a worldwide public health campaign, aiming to solve the vitamin D deficiency epidemic in one year through focus on testing, education, and grassroots word of mouth.

You can still participate in the D*action study, if you like! Best of all, Mercola subscribers will receive a 15 percent discount on the 5-year sponsorship.

To sign up, and get your discount, follow these instructions:

When you sign up, at the beginning of the Payment Options (The area where it says "Please input any CLINIC ID or COUPON CODE assigned to your organization and click Apply:”) on the Order form, please enter 'Mercola.' Then continue with your payment process.

When you join D*action, you agree to test your vitamin D levels twice a year during a 5 year program, and share your health status to demonstrate the public health impact of this nutrient.

There is a $60 fee for every 6 months for your sponsorship of the project (Mercola sponsors get a 15 percent discount), which includes a complete new test kit to be used at home (except in the state of New York), and electronic reports on your ongoing progress.

When you finish the questionnaire, you can choose your subscription option. You will get a follow up email every 6 months reminding you "it's time for your next test and health survey."

To join now, please follow this link to the sign up form.

I, along with GrassrootsHealth, expect this study will demonstrate the real significance of this nutrient on your health and, of course, its value in the prevention of many diseases. So please sign up today so you can be part of a team of Mercola subscribers setting out to demonstrate that PREVENTION WORKS!

Disease Prevention and Optimal Health Begins in the Womb!

GrassrootsHealth is particularly interested in signing up people in these three categories, in order to extrapolate specific data from these groups:

* Pregnant women
* Lactating women
* Infants

As you likely know, good health begins in the womb, and optimizing your vitamin D levels during this time is one crucial strategy that can significantly improve the long-term health of your baby!

So if you or someone you know is either pregnant or breast feeding, please consider joining this groundbreaking study to show the health benefits of this remarkable nutrient.

I hope you’ll jump on the chance to participate in this wonderful project, and please, help spread the word!

2010 Top 10 Dirtiest Hotels in Asia

4Rings — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:49:13 +0800

Dirtiest Hotels - Asia
(based on TripAdvisor traveler reviews)

* 1. Phi Phi Don Chukit Resort, Ko Phi Phi Don, Thailand
* 2. Raj Residency, Chennai (Madras), India
* 3. Goldkist Beach Resort, Singapore, Singapore
* 4. Mahkota Hotel Melaka, Melaka, Malaysia
* 5. Centaur Hotel, IGI Airport, New Delhi, India
* 6. Tatami Hampton Hotel, Hong Kong, China
* 7. Pearl of the Pacific Boracay Resort & Spa, Boracay, Philippines
* 8. First Hotel Bankok, Bangkok, Thailand
* 9. Seri Costa Hotel-Resort, Melaka, Malaysia
* 10. Royal Peacock Hotel, Singapore, Singapore

SINGAPORE: -- Two hotels in Thailand tops the 2010 edition of TripAdvisor's list of the dirtiest hotels in Asia.

The site lists Phi Pho Don Chukit Resort as the filthiest, and First Hotel Bangkok as a good number eight.

Bad smells, unidentified splatters on walls, bed bugs and and bare wires hanging from light fittings are among the complaints left on travel website Tripadvisor.com about some of the places named on its annual 'Dirtiest Hotels' lists.

The ten dirtiest hotels in Asia, Canada, Europe, France, Italy, the United Kingdom and the United States have been named in this year's lists, which were compiled based on reviews from unimpressed travellers.

Phi Phi Don Chukit Resort in Thailand took the dubious honour of being named dirtiest hotel in Asia.

"I don't think I can say anymore than this is the worst place I have ever stayed in my whole entrie [sic] life," one person wrote.

"Cockroaches...smelly.......yuk! Never ever stay here unless...well no...never ever stay here!!!"

Another review was entitled "Ruined our holidays, Disgusting place, terrible service".

Last year's Asia list specified that it also covered the Pacific region though it's not clear whether that is also the case this year.

A number of hotels named in the latest round-up of squalid accommodation have also been singled out in the past.

First Hotel Bangkok was deemed the dirtiest hotel in Asia last year but has dropped to number eight on this year's list.

Two London hotels named among the three worst in the United Kingdom last year - the Cromwell Crown and the Corbigoe Hotel - were again named among the 10 dirtiest in both the UK and Europe.

After the Cromwell topped last year's UK list it was visited by a reviewer from the Times, who concluded that it wasn't just the worst hotel in Britain but possibly "the worst hotel in the world".

However it was surpassed in the filth stakes this year by the Grosvenor Hotel in Blackpool, which was named the dirtiest in Europe.

"The room we stayed in was a minger," read one review from a person who claimed it was the worst hotel they'd stayed in for 20 years.

"Room hadn't been cleaned for ages, curtains / sheets were scruffy, tv didn't work, shower was covered in mould and ceiling tiles were collapsing," it continued.

The Grosvenor's proprietor, Chirag Khajuria, told local news website The Gazette he felt the reviews left on Tripadvisor were "unfair".

TripAdvisor.com are an operating company of Expedia, Inc. and listed on the Nasdaq Exchange (NASDAQ: EXPE).