Health News: Top Stories

	Top Stories Study: Breast-feeding triggers pulses of feel-good hormone US report: Invest $10 a person for better health, prevent disease American Medical Association apologizes to African-American physicians for past racism

	Top Stories Spain and Portugal: Rising invincibility though Maharishi's programmes - Part II Going off the grid with ancient Vedic text as a guide Part II - Experts explain the benefits of Transcendental Meditation for congestive heart failure

	Top Stories UN says 14 million in Africa's Horn need food aid Researchers: Menthol used to attract young smokers US still flunks healthcare test, group says
Positive Trends 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories Study: Breast-feeding triggers pulses of feel-good hormone 21 July 2008 - When a baby breast-feeds, it triggers a flood of the hormone oxytocin that releases milk from the mammary gland and a feeling of love and trust in the mother that ensures the baby's needs are met. This reflex has long puzzled researchers because it requires large surges of oxytocin to pull off all of this. Using a special computer model, researchers from China, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom said on Thursday they now understand how it works. (more) US report: Invest $10 a person for better health, prevent disease 20 July 2008 - Investing just $10 per person could greatly fuel community programmes that get couch potatoes moving, prevent smoking, and improve nutrition, researchers say. How much health does $10 a person buy? Invest that every year, and within five years the nation could cut health care costs by more than $16 billion annually, concludes a new analysis by the nonprofit Trust for America's Health and a team of public-health research groups. Small improvements can add up. Research suggests, for example, that walking 30 minutes a day and dropping just 15 pounds can cut in half the risk that someone with pre-diabetes will get the full-blown disease. (more) American Medical Association apologizes to African-American physicians for past racism 10 July 2008 - The American Medical Association on Thursday issued a formal apology for more than a century of discriminatory policies that excluded African-American physicians from participating in a group long considered the voice of US doctors. Dr Nelson Adams, President of the National Medical Association, said the apology is courageous and 'extremely important'. (more) US: Fewer nonsmokers breathe cigarette fumes, CDC study says 10 July 2008 - The percentage of nonsmoking Americans breathing in cigarette fumes has declined dramatically since the early 1990s, according to a government study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released Thursday. A main reason for the decline in secondhand smoke is the growing number of laws and policies that ban smoking in workplaces, restaurants, and public places, said researchers with the CDC. Another factor is the drop in the number of adult smokers: It has now inched below 20 percent, according to their 2007 data. (more) Austria parliament tightens smoking restrictions 9 July 2008 - Austria's parliament is tightening smoking restrictions by requiring food and drink establishments larger than 861 square feet to create separate smoking sections. The law passed Wednesday prohibits minors and pregnant women from working in spaces where they are exposed to smoke. (more) Europe plans free fruit, vegetables for school children 9 July 2008 - The European Union is aiming to spend $140 million a year to provide free fruit and vegetables to schools across the continent to tackle child obesity, officials said Tuesday. The European Parliament and EU nations still need to approve the plan, which will be co-financed by individual governments. The World Health Organization recommends a daily net intake of 400 grams of fruit and vegetables per person. The majority of Europeans fail to meet the target, the EU said. (more) Netherlands health system rated best 8 July 2008 - In the Netherlands, where health care is financed by mandatory health insurance, 42 per cent of people think their system works well and needs only minor changes. (more) South Pacific island Niue considers tobacco ban 8 July 2008 - Health officials want to make the tiny South Pacific island of Niue the first country in the world to be fully smoke-free by banning tobacco. Banning smoking would see government revenue from tobacco taxes drop, but officials estimate any losses would be more than offset by savings in the health budget. (more) Kenyan village gets clinic from brothers it helped educate 5 July 2008 - When residents of a tiny Kenyan village sold their chickens and cattle to buy Milton Ochieng's $900 plane ticket to Dartmouth College, they told him they wanted something in return. Eight years later, he's a Vanderbilt University Medical School graduate preparing for his residency. In his home village of Lwala, a clinic he and younger brother Fred established serves about 100 patients a day. The clinic, which serves about 4,000 residents of Lwala and the area surrounding it, turns no one away and treats about 85 per cent of its patients for free. (more) Dutch restaurants send tobacco smokers away 2 July 2008 - Dutch restaurants and cafes sent tobacco smokers out the door Tuesday, enforcing a public smoking ban. Cigarettes already are banned in public places including train stations and office buildings. Experts say smoking bans in other countries have greatly improved public health. (more)
Success of Maharishi's Programmes 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories Spain and Portugal: Rising invincibility though Maharishi's programmes - Part II 18 July 2008 - Dr Antonio Bartolome, Raja (Administrator) of Spain for the Global Country of World Peace, reported developments in Maharishi's programmes in the fields of education, health, and agriculture in Spain and Portugal. (more) Going off the grid with ancient Vedic text as a guide 16 July 2008 - The Sustainable Living Center on the Maharishi University of Management campus in Fairfield, Iowa, USA will be the first building of its kind -- an entirely self-sustaining building using 'off-the-grid' concepts from Vedic texts that dictate building orientation, room placement, proportions, and type of materials. The university offers the country's only four-year degree in sustainable living. (more) Part II - Experts explain the benefits of Transcendental Meditation for congestive heart failure 14 July 2008 - The new interactive website 'ASK THE DOCTORS' (www.DoctorsOnTM.org), among many valuable features, includes the expert knowledge of top medical doctors and scientists, who answer questions from the public about the use of the Transcendental Meditation Programme to help prevent specific diseases and promote health and longevity. One topic covered is the benefit of Transcendental Meditation for congestive heart failure. (more) Experts explain benefits of Transcendental Meditation for congestive heart failure - Part I 13 July 2008 - The new interactive website 'ASK THE DOCTORS' (www.DoctorsOnTM.org), among many valuable features, includes the expert knowledge of top medical doctors and scientists, who answer questions from the public about the use of the Transcendental Meditation Programme to help prevent specific diseases and promote health and longevity. One topic covered is the benefit of Transcendental Meditation for congestive heart failure. (more) A Vedic lifestyle cure to many ailments, say studies 12 July 2008 - A Vedic lifestyle, described in traditional Indian literature, and which includes the practice of Transcendental Meditation, will help prevent disease, reverse the aging process, and calm the mind, medical studies say. (more) Maharishi Vedic Hospitals proposed to be built in the United Arab Emirates 30 June 2008 - Dr Paul Gelderloos, National Director of Invincible Holland for the Global Country of World Peace, recently reported on a proposal to build two Maharishi Vedic Hospitals in the United Arab Emirates--one for men and one for ladies. (more) Algeria: Maharishi Veda Aroma Essential Oils to be offered soon in US and Europe 25 June 2008 - Speaking 21 June 2008 on Maharishi Global Family Chat, Raja Michael Dillbeck, Raja of Invincible Algeria for the Global Country of World Peace, reported progress in the manufacturing and distribution of Maharishi Veda Aroma Essential Oils in his domain. The essential oils will be used primarily for aromatherapy at Maharishi Ayur-Veda Health Centres throughout the world. (more) Germany: Military hospital doctors keen to introduce Transcendental Meditation for alleviation of brain disorders 20 June 2008 - Speaking 17 June 2008 on Maharishi Global Family Chat, Col Gunther Chasse, International Deputy Minister of Invincible Defence for the Global Country of World Peace, reported on his recent visit to a military hospital in Germany, where he and Dr Alarik Arenander presented research on Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation Technique and the brain. Their presentation included Maharishi's evidence-based programmes for treating post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, anxiety, and depression. (more) Transcendental Meditation as effective as anti-hypertensive medication without harmful side effects 17 June 2008 - On a recent Maharishi Global Family Chat, Raja Peter Warburton, Raja of Great Britain for the Global Country of World Peace, spoke about a research study that has shown the statistically significant reduction in blood pressure brought about by Transcendental Meditation. (more) Home for good health with Maharishi Vedic Architecture 9 June 2008 - The healthiest house featured in Cincinnati's Homerama 2008 was the home built according to the principles of Maharishi Vedic Architecture . The home is designed to bring good fortune, health, and happiness to its occupants. (more)
Flops 10 Short Summaries of Top Stories UN says 14 million in Africa's Horn need food aid 22 July 2008 - More than 14 million people across the Horn of Africa are relying on food aid and other assistance to survive a devastating drought and rising food prices, aid officials said Tuesday. The crisis is especially dire in Ethiopia and Somalia, two of the poorest countries in the world. Many are surviving on one meal a day. The food problem in the Horn is also spreading further west. Several West African nations across the high desert-like region called the Sahel, just below the Sahara Desert, are experiencing a decline this year in food reserves just as global food prices are soaring. The worldwide food crisis is threatening to push the number of hungry people in the world toward 1 billion. (more) Researchers: Menthol used to attract young smokers 18 July 2008 - Tobacco companies deliberately changed the menthol levels in cigarettes depending upon whom they were marketing them to -- lower levels for young smokers who preferred the milder brands and higher levels to 'lock in lifelong adult smokers', researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health concluded. They said that the tobacco companies researched how controlling menthol levels could increase sales among specific groups. Milder brands with lower menthol levels appealed to younger smokers. The milder products were then marketed to young consumers. (more) US still flunks healthcare test, group says 18 July 2008 - The United States fails on most measures of health care quality, with Americans waiting longer to see doctors and more likely to die of preventable or treatable illnesses than people in other industrialized countries, a report released on Thursday said. Americans squander money on wasteful administrative costs, illnesses caused by medical error, and inefficient use of time, the report from the nonprofit Commonwealth Fund concluded. (more) Malaria drug may be fueling antibiotic resistance 17 July 2008 - Treatment with a common malaria drug may explain why people in remote villages in South America have high levels of resistance to a widely used class of antibiotics known as fluoroquinolones, despite never having taken the drugs, Canadian researchers said on Tuesday. The surprising findings suggest that treating malaria with the cheap, widely used drug chloroquine -- a close cousin of fluoroquinolones -- may boost the risk of resistance to these antibiotics, they said. Researchers found 4.8 percent of people studied had strains of E. coli that were resistant to the antibiotic ciprofloxacin, the generic name for Bayer AG's drug Cipro, and one of the most popular fluoroquinolones. A resistance rate of 4.8 per cent is especially high considering that a 2003 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found a 4 per cent resistance rate in intensive care units in North America, where the drug is widely used. (more) Canadian study: Food aimed at children has poor nutrition value 15 July 2008 - Most food products aimed specifically at children have poor nutritional content even though more than half of the products are marketed to the contrary, according to a Canadian study released on Monday. The study, done by the University of Calgary, found that nine out of 10 food items provided poor nutritional value because of high levels of sugar, fat, or sodium. Even so, 62 per cent of the products with poor nutritional quality made positive claims on the front of the packaging, amid increasing concerns over childhood obesity. (more) Jordan: Many children exposed to aggressive behaviour - study 14 July 2008 - Over half of Jordanian children [between the ages of six and 18] are physically abused or exposed to some form of aggressive behaviour by their parents or school teachers, according to a recent study by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF). Whether at home or at school, abuse has become commonplace. Experts say the phenomenon is hard to fight because parents do not mind their children being physically abused, and Gender and Child Protection Officer Maha Homsi said the problem was on the rise. (more) Hunger brings anguish for millions of Pakistanis 11 July 2008 - Soaring food prices and shortages of staples mean about 77 million people of Pakistan's 160 million population are food insecure, a 28 per cent increase over the past year, according to UN World Food Programme (WFP) estimates. Inflation is running at about 20 per cent, led by fuel and food prices. The term food insecure means people are unable to get sufficient nutritious food to meet dietary needs. (more) Mother's smoking tied to oral birth defect 11 July 2008 - Pregnant women who smoke or regularly breathe second-hand smoke may be raising the odds that their baby will be born with a cleft lip, a new study shows. Cleft lip and cleft palate are among the most common types of birth defect. They arise when the tissues that form the roof of the mouth and the upper lip do not fuse properly, sometime between the fifth and ninth week of pregnancy. In the current study, Norwegian researchers found that women who smoked more than 10 cigarettes per day during their first trimester were nearly twice as likely to have a baby with a cleft lip as nonsmokers were. Similarly, nonsmoking women who were near a smoker for at least two hours each day had a 60 per cent higher risk than women who were not exposed to passive smoking. (more) Cholesterol drugs recommended for children as young as eight years old - US doctors 7 July 2008 - For the first time, an influential doctors group is recommending that some children as young as eight be given cholesterol-fighting drugs to ward off future heart problems. Dr Stephen Daniels, of the academy's nutrition committee, says the new advice is based on mounting evidence showing that damage leading to heart disease, the nation's leading killer, begins early in life. Several of these drugs are approved for use in children and data show that increasing numbers are using them. (more) Epilepsy drugs are associated with a higher risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour, FDA warns 7 July 2008 - US Food and Drug Administration officials will seek a strong 'black box' warning for epilepsy drugs cautioning about the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviour, an agency spokeswoman told Reuters on Monday. That echoed findings from other data released by the agency earlier this year. GlaxoSmithKline Plc's Lamictal and Pfizer Inc's Lyrica are among the top-selling epilepsy drugs. Others include Johnson and Johnson's Topamax and Abbott Laboratories Inc's Depakote. (more)