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3 Reasons Why Doctors Might Say You Should Drink Four Cups of Coffee Everyday

It’s 5 A.M. and you’re reluctantly getting up to do your morning exercises before you have to prepare breakfast and drop the kids off at school. Believe it or not, having a cup or two of coffee now instead of during breakfast or before heading out to work can improve your workout. In fact, having another two cups of coffee throughout the day, like during lunch, protects you from chronic illnesses like cancer! Sounds crazy? Well, scientists don’t think so.

Drinking coffee gets you more kick from your workouts.

Drinking coffee before working out increases your metabolism while you exercise, according to a study published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism. They found that you’ll burn 15 percent more calories if you drink 4.5 milligrams of caffeine per kilogram of your weight. If you weigh 110 pounds, that’s around 224 milligrams of caffeine or 2.5 cups of coffee.

Research also shows that drinking regular coffee increases your blood flow by 30 percent, which allows your muscles more oxygen during your workout. They also found that drinking two or three cups of coffee an hour prior to a 30-minute high-intensity workout reduces muscle pain. That means drinking coffee also helps you endure longer during strength or endurance workouts.

If you do endurance training you’re most likely doing intense workouts everyday. Thus, your glycogen stores must be replenished quickly. Muscles store and use glycogen to give you power and endurance during exercise. If your muscles’ glycogen stores are high you can last longer and deliver more power. Fortunately, drinking coffee with your post-workout meal helps with that! Research shows that a diet of caffeine and carbohydrates increases your muscle glycogen by 66 percent four hours after an intense, glycogen-depleting workout.

Drinking coffee also protects your muscles in the long term. Studies find that regularly consuming coffee offsets natural muscle strength loss due to aging. This isn’t limited to the muscles you actively tone during your workouts – the protective effects were observed in the diaphragm too, protecting your body’s ability to breathe as you get older. Researchers believe from these findings that your coffee habit may preserve your overall fitness and even decrease your risk for age-related injuries too.

Drinking coffee helps prevent chronic diseases.

If you party hard on Fridays after work with your friends, remember your cup of Java! Research by the University of Southampton finds that drinking four cups of coffee daily reduces your risk of developing cirrhosis from long-term alcohol consumption by 65 percent.

These daily four cups of coffee also protect you from other chronic diseases as well. Research by Harvard University finds that drinking one to five cups of regular or decaf coffee everyday helps protect you from cardiovascular disease, stroke, neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s, and diabetes mellitus due to coffee’s bioactive compounds which protect against blood-brain barrier blockage and reduce systematic inflammation and insulin resistance. However, drinking more than five cups reverses these health benefits.

Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry finds that drinking at least four cups of coffee everyday reduces your risk for developing multiple sclerosis by 26 to 31 percent. There seem to be compounds in coffee that have neuroprotective effects.

Drinking four cups of coffee everyday helps prevent cancer too. Another Harvard study found that colon cancer patients in remission who drank four or more cups of coffee had a 42 percent decreased risk of cancer recurrence and a 34 percent decrease in overall mortality (including cancer-caused mortality).

Ultimately, researchers found that drinking coffee reduces overall mortality by 15 percent.

Late night studying with coffee to keep you awake is actually good for you.

Drinking coffee while you study improves your memory. A John Hopkins study found that consuming caffeine enhances your memory for 24 hours. Caffeinated participants scored higher than non-caffeinated participants when shown images and asked to recall them. Remember that next time you’re studying for grad finals or working late finishing paperwork!

If you chug a lot of coffee to boost your energy don’t be ashamed – it’s actually good for you! Drinking coffee before and after exercising enhances your performance and supports your muscles’ recovery. Coffee is also holistically healthy, helping prevent a wide range of diseases. Coffee also helps you cram for exams! But to be on the safe side, drink only four cups of coffee daily – you don’t want to reverse these health benefits.

Sources:

http://news.health.com/2014/06/19/5-reasons-to-drink-coffee-before-your-workout/

http://www.health.harvard.edu/colorectal-cancer/harvard-researchers-link-coffee-with-reduced-colon-cancer-recurrence

http://www.newsweek.com/coffee-could-lower-risk-ms-only-if-your-drink-excessive-amounts-stuff-433201

motherjones.com/tom-philpott/2015/11/science-says-drink-your-coffee

http://healthcare.utah.edu/healthfeed/postings/2016/02/coffee_cirrohsis.php

http://www.hngn.com/articles/169080/20160113/weight-loss-5-best-new-superfoods-losing-recipes.htm

May 17, 2017
5 Healthier Presents for Mother’s Day

It’s time to show how much you appreciate your mom this Sunday! If you’re still choosing a Mother’s Day present, here are some healthier options.

Showing your love for your mom on Mother’s Day means different things for different people. Some treat their moms out to dinner while others simply send flowers through the mail. Other people show their appreciation to the fullest by treating the day just like a birthday – they throw a party and buy their mom a real present.

Whether it’s a casual or a special present, here are healthy choices you can give your mom this Mother’s Day:

1. Provence Roses

The Provence rose (Rose de Mai) is a beautiful red-pink rose. Its sweet fragrance is made up of healing compounds that have been found to lower pain and inflammation. Because of these healing properties, these flowers are used in most essential oils. Of course, these benefits are stronger if you inhale the flower’s concentrated essential oil, but the natural flowers themselves will fill the surrounding air with a lovely, healing scent.

2. Lavender

Lavender is pretty common in most flower bouquets. These calming magenta flowers provide a nice, soft contrast to the vibrant reds and whites of other flowers. These beautifully cone-shaped flowers also release healing scents that have been found to relieve anxiety and boost memory. They also have been found to treat Alzheimer’s and lower inflammation in your nervous system. But these neuroprotective effects are strongest when inhaling the concentrated essential oil form.

3. Assorted Raw Nuts

Nuts are a clean source of protein. They’re considered superfoods because they’re antioxidant-rich and rich in many minerals and vitamins. And if that’s not good enough for you – they’re also a great source of omega-3 fatty acids! Here are a few of the best ones you can buy your mom:

Brazil nuts. Brazil nuts are rich in selenium, which your body needs to make vital antioxidant enzymes. Selenium also cancels out any mercury in your system from eating fish or environmental exposure. But you can only eat up to four or five a day or you might risk selenium poisoning.

Walnuts. Walnuts are renowned for their omega-3 fatty acids content. Vegans often substitute fish for walnuts as their source for these fish oils. They’re also rich in manganese and copper, which are two other rare minerals your body needs.

Almonds. Almonds are protein-rich and most prefer their melt-in-your-mouth flavor to walnuts. Although almonds offer more nutritional value than meats and other foods, they’re subpar when compared to other nuts’ nutritional content. One serving also only offers about 5 milligrams of omega-3 fatty acids. But almonds do shine through when it comes to vitamin E – one serving meets 125 percent of your daily required intake.

If you snack on these nuts with some veggies, researchers found you’ll absorb more of the vegetables’ carotenoids because consuming fats with these disease-preventing antioxidants improves their absorption in your gut.

4. Dark Chocolate

Dark chocolate has high cocoa content, which has a wealth of benefits. Researchers found that regularly enjoying dark chocolate lowers your risk for cardiovascular disease by 5.4 percent. It’s also been found to help you lose weight if you eat it five times every week. Best of all, eating dark chocolate boosts your brain power for up to three hours and gives you an exhilarating high.

5. Earthing Shoes

If you’re the kind that treats Mother’s Day the same as your mom’s birthday, then you can gift her earthing shoes instead of expensive high heels that are bad for her foot and back health.

As the name implies, earthing is when you stand on the earth. The earth has to be connected to the ground with nothing blocking it off in-between. For example, standing on soil in the middle of your living room isn’t earthing, but standing on your lawn’s grass works as long as your whole lawn isn’t encased by an artificial barrier in the ground below.

Researchers found that when you earth, the Earth’s natural electrons flow into your body and neutralize any disease-causing free radicals. They also found that earthing regularly lowers overall inflammation and boosts wound healing significantly by neutralizing free radicals that harm your tissues and slow healing. Studies also show that earthing regularly improves your sleep quality, helps relieve anxiety by normalizing your nervous system, and also lowers any overall pain. Participants also experienced lower overall blood pressure when instructed to earth regularly.

To confirm the phenomenon, they attached electrodes to runners who ran barefoot and those who ran with sneakers on. The barefoot runners had a lower overall charge than those who wore rubber sneakers. Since most footwear have rubber soles, it insulates your body from the Earth’s healing electrons.

Doctors don’t advise walking barefoot outdoors because there are parasites that can enter through your soles’ pores. Sharp rocks and other protruding debris can also cut your feet’s skin. But wearing shoes that don’t block the flow of electrons allows you to earth safely while running or enjoying a walk outdoors. You can buy special earthing shoes, which can be pricey. You can also choose footwear that are made of material that don’t insulate electricity (like wood and cloth).

This Mother’s Day choose one of these presents to show your mom your appreciation while boosting her health at the same time. These will help keep her heart, brain, and the rest of her body healthy!

May 14, 2017
Experts Say Wearing Sunscreen Lowers Your Vitamin D Production: Here’s What You Should Do

Wearing sunscreen is becoming more important as the ozone layer continues to be depleted and the atmosphere protects you less from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation. But now researchers are finding that protecting yourself from the sun’s UV rays with sunscreen also blocks the sunlight’s natural ability to cause vitamin D production in your body. Don’t worry – here’s how you can continue helping to prevent developing skin cancer while getting your daily vitamin D.

Why Is Vitamin D Important for Your Health?

Vitamin D is a critical nutrient your body needs for good bone health, mental health, and disease prevention. Your bone cells need vitamin D to build, strengthen, and maintain your bones. Without vitamin D, your bones can become brittle, and you may develop rickets or osteoporosis. Why? Because vitamin D contributes significantly to your gut’s ability to absorb calcium, and it also controls how much phosphate and calcium are circulating in your blood. Without vitamin D, insufficient calcium and phosphate would be accessible to your bone cells.

Vitamin D has also been linked with lowering inflammation and boosting your immunity. Not getting enough vitamin D has been linked with an increased chance of catching colds and flus. Doctors also found that supplementing with vitamin D can shorten the severity and length of a flu or cold significantly.

Vitamin D has also been linked with cancer. Researchers found that people with higher concentrations of vitamin D are 50 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancer. There is similar evidence for vitamin D intake and prostate and breast cancers.

Vitamin D also plays a significant role in your cardiovascular health. Researchers found that low concentrations of vitamin D increase your risk for heart disease by 60 percent compared to someone with high vitamin D levels. In fact, you’re 300 percent more likely to develop hypertension if you have chronically low levels of vitamin D compared to if you’ve kept your vitamin D levels high.

If you’re trying to lose weight or want to stay fit, researchers found that healthy vitamin D levels play a critical role. They found that most obese and overweight people have lower concentrations of vitamin D. What’s even more interesting is that they found that women who lost weight also experienced an increase in their vitamin D levels.

Vitamin D may also be linked with diabetes. When nondiabetic patients were given 700 IU of vitamin D with calcium for three years, they experienced lower fasting plasma glucose levels.

Vitamin D has also been found to help treat depression. Clinically depressed patients who supplemented with vitamin D for one year experienced better scores on depression tests. Low levels of vitamin D have also been linked with cognitive impairment.

There are many more diseases that have been linked with low levels of vitamin D, including Parkinson’s disease and autoimmune disorders. In fact, high levels of vitamin D decrease your risk of developing multiple sclerosis by 62 percent compared with if you had chronically low levels. It becomes obvious from the extensive evidence and findings that vitamin D is integral to your holistic health, and having chronic low vitamin D levels can put you in danger.

How Do You Get Your Daily Vitamin D?

Vitamin D is mainly made by your body when your skin is exposed to sunlight. The sun’s UV radiation catalyzes a reaction that lets your skin convert compounds into inactive forms of vitamin D that then get converted to active forms by your tissues, liver, and kidneys.

You can also get a little vitamin D from eating fish, liver, eggs, and yogurt. Because vitamin D is found in little amounts in Western diets, most commercial products, like cereals, milks, and baby formulas, are fortified with vitamin D.

But most of these commercially processed foods and dairy products (except yogurt) are high in cholesterol, and not at the healthy end of the spectrum. If you’re a health buff, you’d most likely stay away from foods fortified with vitamin D – which leaves you relying on sun exposure as your main vitamin D source.

Are You at Risk for low Vitamin D Levels?

Given vitamin D’s difficult sources, it explains why the overall population’s vitamin D levels have been declining in recent years. With advancing technology, people are staying indoors more. And as people become more health-conscious and start avoiding dairy products, they consume less dietary sources of vitamin D.

But some groups of people are more at risk for low vitamin D levels. Experts found that vegetarians, vegans, and people with milk allergies or who are lactose intolerant have a higher risk of vitamin D deficiency because they’re avoiding diary sources of vitamin D. Breastfed infants have a high prevalence of vitamin D deficiency because their mothers aren’t supplementing with enough vitamin D for both her child and herself.

Researchers found that people with darker skin pigmentation are at risk for chronic low levels of vitamin D. Ninety-five percent of African Americans have been found to be vitamin D deficient.

Doctors also warn those with chronic gastrointestinal disorders that affect absorption of nutrients to increase their vitamin D intake. Irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, celiac disease, and other conditions can lower your vitamin D absorption from food. Over time, this can lead to lower levels of vitamin D.

If you spend most of your time indoors throughout the week (working at the cubicle or at your home computer and only exercising at the gym or your home gym), you also run the risk of chronic low vitamin D levels if you aren’t supplementing with more vitamin D from food.

As you get older, your body makes less vitamin D. If you’re getting up there in years and aren’t eating more dietary sources of vitamin D or staying in the sun longer, then you risk having chronic lower levels of vitamin D.

But Now Scientists Discovered That Being in the Sun Isn’t Causing Enough Vitamin D Production

As if getting vitamin D wasn’t hard enough – new findings suggest that staying out in the sun might give the false sense that you’re giving your skin what it needs to make vitamin D. Dr. Kim Pfotenhauer states in a clinical review published in The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association that wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater blocks so much of the sun’s UV radiation that it lowers your skin’s sun-catalyzed vitamin D production by 99 percent!

That means that if you’re being responsible and health-conscious by protecting yourself from skin cancer by wearing sunscreen everytime you plan on exposing yourself to the sun’s harmful UV rays, you’re also practically cutting off a source of vitamin D without even knowing it.

But does that mean that you should stop wearing sunscreen or wear lower SPF protection? No!

Here’s What You Must Do to Get Your Daily Vitamin D Without Sacrificing Skin Protection

Wearing sunscreen is mandatory if you’re going to spend time in the sun, especially between 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.. The sun’s harmful UV radiation can cause skin cancer and speed up signs of aging (like wrinkles, lines, and roughness of your skin).

But what should you do about your sunscreen blocking 99 percent of your skin’s vitamin D production? You can up your dietary intake of vitamin D by incorporating your own vitamin D-infused mushrooms into your daily diet.

The American College of Healthcare Sciences says that if you place your grocery-bought mushrooms on a sunny windowsill for a couple of hours, they’ll start making vitamin D via similar chemical processes that happen when your skin is exposed to sunlight.

Any mushroom will do, but different mushrooms produce varying levels of vitamin D. For example, every 100 grams of portabella mushrooms make 835 IU of vitamin D. You should choose mushrooms based on their nutrition and not their vitamin D-producing capacity. Among the top picks are shiitake and chaga mushrooms, which have some of the highest antioxidant activities and are being investigated as potential supplemental cancer therapies.

Eating your naturally vitamin D-enriched mushrooms as a dietary source of vitamin D is the solution that lets you up your vitamin D levels without resorting to eating more mercury-contaminated fish or unhealthy dairy products, or exposing yourself to more harmful UV radiation.

Mushrooms are vegan-friendly and a clean source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids, which do wonders for your brain and heart. They’re also filled with antioxidants and nice sources of some vitamins and minerals.

Unlike dairy products, these holistically healthy properties are why health buffs encourage you to incorporate mushrooms into your daily diet as a replacement for proteins sourced from meat, which have been found to increase your risk for cancer by 13 percent. (Whereas mushrooms’ antioxidants fight cancer.)

You can also take a daily vitamin D supplement, but here you run the risk of a vitamin D overdose if you don’t watch your dosage. Vitamin D supplements are also less economically savvy than mushrooms because all you’re getting is pure vitamin D without the additional natural nutrients of mushrooms, which are cheaper than the supplements.

Now that you’re more aware of vitamin D’s role in your holistic health, you should up your dietary intake by mixing your sunbathed-mushrooms into your daily salads and meals. Continue wearing sunscreen because it protects your skin from cancer and accelerated aging from contact with the sun. If you’re breastfeeding an infant, it’s important to double your vitamin D intake because you’re the main source of your baby’s vitamin D.

May 9, 2017
3 Foods That Can Help Heal Your Broken Heart

Have you just had your heart broken? Try these healing food that have been proven to help you feel better.

Everyone gets their heart broken at some point – be it unrequited love, a romantic relationship gone sour, or the betrayal of a platonic friend. Although the passing of time is the only real way a heart can mend, there are foods you can eat that can boost your mood and more. Here are a few you can try for a healthy pick-me-up:

1. Chocolate

You might think that chocolate is a sinful snack, but the health benefits of eating chocolate regularly are widely documented. They include doing wonders for your brain.

The cocoa in chocolate has been found to increase blood flow in three areas of your brain which contribute to alertness, cognition, and creativity, but only for two to three hours. The chemicals responsible are cocoa’s flavanols, which are powerful antioxidants that have already been found to promote better cardiovascular health.

But most commercial chocolate bars contain less than 20 percent cocoa. It’s better to buy 100 percent cocoa from the grocery and make a chocolate shake with stevia or sugar to get cocoa’s brain-boosting effects. You’ll probably feel a adrenaline-like high and feel your mental faculties increase significantly. If you have a written test and you’re feeling down because of your broken heart, drinking this will give you a brain boost during your exam. You can also buy a dark chocolate bar, which can contain between 60 to 85 percent cocoa!

But cocoa’s brain-boosting flavanols are only the beginning when it comes to chocolate’s ability to heal your broken heart! Neuropsychologist Dr. David Lewis conducted a study with two groups of couples. One group ate chocolate, and the other group shared a very passionate kiss. The couples had electrodes attached to their scalps measuring their brain activity, and also had their hearts monitored.

Surprisingly, the couples who ate chocolate had more stimulated heart rates and brain activity than the couples who kissed passionately! When the chocolate started melting in the couples’ mouths, all their brain regions were excited far more than the couples who kissed. These brain- and heart- exciting effects for the couples who ate chocolate lasted four times longer than the lesser effects of the couples kissing.

Psychologist Sue Wright offers an explanation for the phenomenon. She says that chocolate’s phenylethylamine can boost your endorphin levels, which are the notorious compounds responsible for the highs that drug abusers chase after.

A dark chocolate bar should definitely be your go-to snack if you’re getting over a broken heart. It will immediately boost your brain power and excite your brain and heart far more than a passionate kiss!

2. Dark Leafy Greens Salad

Magnesium is an important mineral for your mood. Your body uses it to make serotonin, which combats depression and helps calm you down and lower anxiety. Studies show that supplementing with magnesium boosts your mood and combats depression in clinically depressed patients. Upping your magnesium intake will definitely lift your spirits while you’re in the process of mending your broken heart. If you’re feeling too emotional, the magnesium will boost your serotonin, which will help calm you down.

A salad filled with dark leafy greens is brimming with magnesium. A cup of broccoli gives you 100 milligrams of magnesium. Add spinach, kale, and other dark green veggies to that and you’ll easily be pumping between 200 to 300 milligrams of this perk-me-up nutrient into your body!

3. Fish or Nuts

One of the most popular things people do when they feel down is binging TV and snacking on something. Most TV snacks are bad for your health and will only make you feel worse because of the carb overload. But if you snack on nuts or fish, they’ll boost your mood.

Fish and nuts, like walnuts and almonds, are high in omega-3 fatty acids. Researchers who supplemented bipolar depressive patients and children with depression with omega-3 fatty acids saw greater than 50 percent improvement in their depression scores.

If you’ve turned to your favorite streaming show to help forget about your broken heart, grab a couple of packages of nuts from the grocery! After snacking and watching, you might feel your mood pick up as the omega-3 fatty acids take into effect.

Remember that only time can truly mend a broken heart. But try these three healthy foods with special mood-lifting properties and you might feel better sooner!

May 3, 2017
Here’s Some Hope for Lazy Dieters – Research Shows You Don’t Need to Be Fully Committed to Lose Weight

New research finds that fasting regularly on some days, then going back to your normal diet on other days works just as well as the normal weight loss method of being on a calorie-restricted daily diet.

Have you been putting off losing weight because you feel it’s too hard to stay on a strict diet for weeks or months? The idea certainly is daunting – it’s easy to go on a diet for a whole day, but if you had to do it every single day for over a month, it just feels like tremendous work and sacrifice. But now researchers say going on these one-day diets can help you lose just as much weight as diligently dieting everyday.

The Comprehensive Weight Loss Study Followed Dieters for Four Years – Not Just Months

Researchers wanted to see if regularly fasting on alternate days can help you lose weight in the long run. They took 100 adults suffering from obesity and gave them one of three eating regimens: an alternate-day fasting diet, a mainstream calorie-restricted daily diet, and no diet at all. The no diet group served as the control group for researchers to compare both diet regimen results to.

The group with the calorie-restricted daily diet could only eat up to 2,000 calories everyday, which is 75 percent of the average calories people eat daily.

The group with the alternate-day fasting diet enjoyed a lot of freedom. They only dieted three to four days out of the week, and during their non-diet days they could eat up to 2,500 calories, which is about 125 percent of the recommended daily calorie intake. But during their diet days, they could only eat 25 percent of the normal daily calorie intake — which is only 500 calories.

All three groups followed their diet regimens for 365 days. Surprisingly, the alternate-day fasting diet group lost more weight than the group diligently following the everyday calorie-restricted diet! They lost 6 percent of their original weight relative to the control group who didn’t change their eating habits. The daily calorie-restricted diet group only lost 5.3 percent.

What makes this even more amazing is that the alternate-day fasting diet group also ate more calories than they were supposed to during their fasting days, but less than they were allowed to on their off days. Whereas the daily calorie-restricted diet group mostly kept within their prescribed calories.

Despite the alternate-day fasting diet group eating almost whatever they wanted during their off days, they had almost the same blood pressure, heart rate, and blood levels of fat, sugar, insulin, and other relevant metabolic blood factors. But during the sixth month, the alternate-day fasting diet group experienced higher cholesterol levels than the calorie-restricted daily diet group. But by the 12th month, both groups had almost identical metabolic parameters again.

The researchers went on to study the participants and run more trials for four more years.

A Great Option for People Who Can’t Stick to a Diet

The alternate-day fasting diet group lost almost 12 percent more weight than the calorie-restricted daily diet group. But researchers say the difference in negligible and both groups should be treated as losing almost the same amount of weight.

What does this mean for you? If it’s too hard to diet everyday, you can go on a more stringent, calorie-limited diet for a couple of days, then switch back to your normal diet. If you keep doing this, you’ll end up losing as much weight long-term as if you had been following a less stringent diet everyday. Doing so has also been found to be just as safe as dieting everyday.

Think of it this way – let’s say you were planning on dieting for a month. That means you just need to fast for a cumulative of 30 days. Every day that you fast is one day completed of your 30-day diet. Even if it takes you 90 days to complete 30 days of fasting, you’ll lose the same weight as though you dieted for a month!

May 2, 2017
Can Doctors Finally Perform a Head Transplant?

It’s been talked about endlessly in science fiction and horror novels. But now those plots are finding their way into reality as the world is getting ready to see the very first surgical head transplant. If the procedure succeeds, it could open the doors for permanent cures to virtually every disease that doesn’t affect the head.

The first two neurosurgeons who’ll perform a head transplant says the procedure will be scheduled for within 10 months from now. Drs. Sergio Canavero and Xiaoping Ren are the two leading neurosurgeons who’ve developed the novel procedure and will be leading the surgical team in China. They picked China as the location for the controversial procedure because there are more accessible body donors.

But the procedure has been widely criticized by experts in their field whose main concern is that Canavero and Ren haven’t revealed any specific convincing evidence showing they can actually successfully perform a head transplant. But that’s because their detailed research is currently being reviewed by various journals, and they aren’t planning on revealing anything until their works are published in these journals.

Dr. Michael Sarr, editor of the journal Surgery, is one of the few experts reviewing their research papers. He states that from the evidence he’s reviewed, he believes their head transplant procedure has a 98 percent chance of success.

In China, they’re legally allowed to perform the procedure. The only thing holding it up is the peer review of their research. Once their papers are published in recognized scientific journals, they can move forward and schedule the very first head transplant surgery.

A Potential Cure-all

If a head transplant becomes possible, almost every disease becomes 100 percent curable. Any cancer that hasn’t spread to the head area can be cured if you replace everything under your head. War veterans and victims of flesh-eating bacteria can get new bodies without amputated arms. Heart disease, liver and kidney failure, and any other organ system problem can be 100 percent treated when you’re given a new body.

Any incurable viral, bacterial, and fungal infection that stays isolated within a certain area in the body can also be completely treated.

It also opens the door for real sex change surgeries. If a male receives the body of a female, he’ll be able to bear children and have natural female processes. The same holds true if a female receives a male body.

Hopefully these two revolutionary surgeons and their talented surgical team can pull off this highly anticipated head transplant surgical procedure. It’s definitely worth rooting for!

May 1, 2017
Cellphones Have Been Officially Recognized as Causing Brain Cancer: Here Are Some Ways to Keep Yourself Safe

In Italy, a court made a decision that might prove medically noteworthy. They found that a man’s brain tumor was caused by cellphone usage. It’s difficult not to use a cellphone in this modern era, so here are ways to help lower your risks for developing cancer.

Cellphone Use Legally Linked With Causing Brain Cancer

Robert Romero was required to use his cellphone for three hours daily for 15 years while working for Telecom Italia. He developed a brain tumor and the court found that it was caused by his cellphone usage.

He was awarded about $7,500 per year in damages for the rest of his life. It’s a weird monetary award from an American perspective because it could be on the low end of the spectrum or on the very high end, depending on whether he dies of old age or gets hit by a car the very next day.

The legal decision is a silent opening of a floodgate. One consumer welfare group has already started the flood by initiating a class action suit to force all cellphone companies to add a warning label about the risks of brain cancer and cellphone usage.

But Does Using Your Cellphone Cause Brain Cancer?

Everyone uses a cellphone, especially now that smartphones are becoming more common and accessible to all ages. Smartphones are becoming a necessity because of their internet capabilities. Many stores have QR codes placed on their wares, which gives shoppers with smartphones a price advantage over those who don’t. But is all this cellphone usage putting everyone at risk for brain cancer?

The National Institutes of Health conclude that cellphones don’t cause brain cancer, in general. They say that cellphones emit radiofrequency energy that doesn’t damage or change DNA, but does cause nearby living tissue to heat up. After reviewing numerous studies, they found no statistically significant increased risk of brain cancer with normal cellphone usage.

But they did mention that in more than one study, brain cancer was more prevalent in heavy cellphone users, like Robert Romero. But they haven’t cited any studies that focused on heavy cellphone usage only.

In a more recent study with rats, heavy radiofrequency energy exposure has been found to cause higher rates of brain and heart tumors. But the study is small, and further research must be done for experts to make a definite conclusion.

Cellphones Lower Male Fertility

What researchers are sure of is that being near cellphones or talking on a cellphone lowers male fertility. They found that men who talked for longer than an hour a day on their cellphone or had their cellphones close to their groins for a significant period of time experienced lower sperm counts and lower semen quality.

What’s the Takeaway?

It seems like the human and rat studies point to one unofficial conclusion: Using your cellphone for longer than normal can lead to brain cancer and a decrease in male fertility. The Italian courts state that an hour a day is normal cellphone usage.

To be safe and lower your risk for cancer and decreased fertility, don’t use or be near your cellphone for longer than an hour a day. If you need to talk on your cellphone for longer than that, use a headset and keep your cellphone a safe distance away, like on the table or a seat next to you.

To lower your exposure to your cellphone’s radiofrequency energy, don’t keep your cellphone in your pockets, but store them in a carry-on bag. Also never sleep with your cellphone close to your body – keep it on a nearby table.

How to Naturally Lower Your Risk for Developing Cancer

It’s highly unpractical for you to avoid your cellphone on a daily basis, especially if you’re a corporate person. But there are healthy ways you can help protect yourself from developing cancer:

Try to avoid red meat. Harvard finds that one additional serving of unprocessed red meat increases your risk for total mortality, including cancer, by 13 percent. If it’s processed meat, the increased risk is 20 percent!

Eat vegetables with every meal. Vegetables, especially cruciferous vegetables, are high in antioxidants. These protective compounds circulate through your body once absorbed and neutralize toxins, free radicals, and other cancer-causing pollutants in your system. As a bonus, they also help slow signs of aging.

Exercise more. Researchers found that exercising more than 150 minutes every week lowers your risk for 17 different types of cancer, including lung, breast, and brain cancer, by at least 20 percent. But you need to be exercising at a moderate intensity level – leisurely walks won’t do, but leisurely jogs fit the bill.

Incorporating these cancer-protective things into your regular regimen can help offset the increased cancer risk from using your cellphone daily.

April 29, 2017
Can This Blood Test Detect Cancer a Year Earlier Than Normal Tests?

Scientists invented a new blood test that can detect whether a cancer is recurring a whole year before any current mainstream tests can detect. In general, blood tests are non-invasive, cheaper, and easier to get done. This new method could prove to be an ideal first line of defense for cancer patients.

If you’ve survived a form of cancer, this new research is great news for you! Researchers have invented a new blood test that can detect your cancer from recurring 365 days before X-rays, CT scans, and other current mainstream diagnostics.

Depending on your form of cancer, recurrence can be a little or a significant worry. These researchers originally developed this new recurrence detection method especially for lung cancer patients in remission because lung cancer has about a 50 percent chance of recurring.

They took samples from tumors removed from surgery and created a genetic profile from the cancer cells’ mutated DNA. They then drew the patient’s blood each month post-surgery and tested it for any traces of the cancer cells’ genetic profile. They found that if the cancer starts recurring, its genetic profile is present and detectable in the blood one year before the recurring cancer can be detected using current methods.

If first caught early via this new blood test, the recurring cancer cluster is still tiny at 0.3 cubic millimeters.

The great news is that they found this new blood test works for all recurring cancers, not just lung cancer – the key is that doctors need a sample of your cancer cells to make a genetic profile they can keep checking your blood for. But the blood test is not error-free – in the study, 13 out of 14 patients’ recurrence were detected with the blood test. That means one patient didn’t luck out and the blood test didn’t catch his starting recurrence.

It also doesn’t work on people who’ve never had cancer. Its current usage is limited to detecting cancer recurrence in patients in remission.

Sampling for the Blood Test Also Gives Hints on Risk of Recurrence

While creating genetic profiles from tumors from many patients, the researchers happened upon another good find. They found that the patients who ended up with a recurrence usually also have cancer cells with more genetic instability. They concluded that recurrence is more likely if a cancer cells’ chromosomes are more favorable toward shuffling or translocating their genes.

The researchers hope to use this supplementary finding to create drugs that stabilize cancer cells’ genetics in hopes of slowing tumor growth and overall cancer progression.

In the meantime, patients in remission whose cancer cells’ genetic profiles exhibit genetic instability are more closely monitored for the possibility of recurrence.

Although this new research can’t currently help diagnose new cancers, it is a significant advancement in overall cancer research. With this new blood test, patients in remission can be diagnosed and treated if a recurrence starts budding before these patients even experience any symptoms. In the grand scheme, it will certainly save many more lives from cancer.

April 28, 2017
Professor Invents a Method for Artificial Photosynthesis That Could Cut Carbon Dioxide Emissions

Trees and other plant life boost the overall oxygen in the environment, while also clearing the air of carbon dioxide pollution. But growing trees can take years, and isn’t feasible in high-population urban areas. But what if your roof was equipped with special materials that could convert carbon dioxide into electricity?

Cities Are Major Sources of Carbon Dioxide

Last fall, researchers gloomily declared that atmospheric carbon dioxide levels have now surpassed 400 parts per million. They say carbon dioxide levels will only continue to rise as society becomes increasingly industrialized. These record-highs for CO2 in Earth’s atmosphere only echo peak levels from millions of years ago. Since then, these levels have never reached these heights.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide traps heat like a blanket covering the earth. The more of it in the atmosphere, the more heat is trapped. Whether or not global warming exists (since the current U.S. president denies its existence), the fact is that producing more CO2 without an efficient method to prevent its buildup in the atmosphere will only lead to higher overall temperatures.

The University of North Dakota Energy and Environmental Research Center states that mobile sources of carbon dioxide emissions only account for 26 percent of CO2 emissions from human activity. These include cars, airplanes, and other moving vehicles that emit CO2. They say the bigger percentage of human activity CO2 emissions come from stationary sources, like factories, apartments, houses, businesses, electrical plants, ice fishing houses, and etc., which contribute 65 percent.

Since cities have a high proportion of mobile sources (think of the traffic-crowded streets) and electricity-consuming buildings and other stationary sources, they are major sources of human activity carbon dioxide emissions.

Trees and most plant life can help combat carbon dioxide pollution because they take in CO2 and release oxygen as part of photosynthesis. But cities and other urban areas are too cramped with man-made structures for sufficient area to grow a significant amount of plant life. It’s a double jeopardy – not only are cities releasing a major amount of carbon dioxide, but they aren’t capable of cultivating plant life to counter their CO2 emissions.

How This Artificial Photosynthetic Structure Can Bring Hope for the Battle Against Global Warming

Chemistry professor Dr. Fernando Uribe-Romo of the University of Florida may have invented a remarkable solution to city carbon dioxide pollution. He and his team fashioned organic compounds onto titanium. The organometallic structure falls within a class called metal-organic frameworks.

The organic compounds act like antennae that absorb the sun’s most abundant radiation – those in the visible range. In this case, Dr. Uribe-Romo selected for sunlight components within the blue wavelength range. The absorbed radiation catalyzed a reaction that transformed surrounding carbon dioxide into carbon compounds that are used in solar fuel cells.

In other words, the invention cleans the air of CO2 and converts it into solar power! Professor Uribe-Romo hopes that this technology can be developed and fastened onto urban rooves. These would act like solar panels that can power buildings by eating carbon dioxide pollution. Unlike plant life, they can be installed virtually everywhere in a city.

He says his team is working on adjusting the organic components such that they’ll be able to absorb other visible wavelength components of sunlight.

Hopefully this new artificial photosynthetic structure can be the answer to rising atmospheric carbon dioxide levels. Since they require nothing but solar power and carbon dioxide to work, incorporating them into building regulations may significantly cut human activity carbon dioxide emissions before the greenhouse gas can reach the atmosphere.

April 26, 2017
Can a Caterpillar Help Solve Environmental Recycling Problems?

A hobby beekeeper in Spain mistakenly stumbled upon a big win for environmentalists. Scientists are now eagerly studying her find and its wonderful applications for saving the environment.

In Spain, a hobby beekeeper was tending to her beehives when she saw some loitering caterpillars that were eating the beeswax, some cocoons, and shed bee skins. You may be more familiar with their common name – waxworms – which are known to infest beehives. These particular ones are Galleria mellonella, the greater wax moth.

She promptly extracted the pests into plastic bags. But to her surprise the waxworms rapidly made little holes in the plastic. Fortunately, the hobbyist is an astute researcher at the Institute of Biomedicine and Biotechnology of Cantabria who immediately recognized the remarkable implications that these caterpillars could have for the environment.

She and other researchers found that these waxworms could break down plastic faster than other cutting-edge artificial and natural methods. They wanted to make sure the waxworms were really breaking down the plastic, rather than just rapidly chewing holes into it. To do this, and in the name of science, they then smashed the waxworms up to expose the digestive enzymes in their guts. When they applied the smashed waxworm juice to plastic, they recorded some measurements that confirmed the waxworms’ enzymes were breaking down the plastic.

The researchers were thrilled because these findings mean that recycling plants and waste management facilities can use waxworms to breakdown plastics naturally without too much additional cost. They’re also exploring the possibility of synthetically producing the waxworms’ enzymes for mass production, which would be more costly and less environmentally friendly, but would also be exponentially more efficient at breaking down plastics.

The Current Plastic Waste Problem

Why are these findings newsworthy? Because the waxworms’ enzymes have been found to breakdown polyethylene, which make up a minimum of about 40 percent of plastic packaging. Before these findings, polyethylene was considered not biodegradable – which means it doesn’t naturally breakdown by itself or by nature.

Data shows that plastic production is increasing exponentially as more products are becoming industrialized and technology is advancing. But only 26 percent of these plastics are recycled, while 38 percent end up in landfills, and the rest are combusted (which causes air pollution).

The landfills are already becoming backed up with non-biodegradable trash, which may cause plastic waste to make their way into animal habitats. This leads to scenes like fish and dolphins getting their necks stuck around plastic waste and other heartbreaking scenarios.

These waxworms and their enzymes can realistically rescue the environment from plastic buildup. If they can be used to break down plastics, landfills will have more space and there will be less air pollution from combusting plastics.

What’s the best part? When they break down plastics, they make ethylene glycol, which is antifreeze! That means using these waxworms and their enzymes to treat plastic waste will actually recycle the plastic into antifreeze. It’s a win-win for the environment and for companies wanting to boost their revenue by treating their plastic wastes with these waxworms to make antifreeze they can reuse or sell.

Hopefully scientists can discover other hidden solutions within Mother Nature for more of society’s ever-increasing self-inflicted environmental crises.

April 25, 2017