Hyvin
A Natural Health and Wellness Blog

Do you throw your kitchen sponge in the dishwasher to “clean” it? That’s what I’ve always done. I know sanitation is a good idea….the sponge never REALLY gets dry, and it’s gotta’ have all the germs that come into the house and land on the counters, in the sink, on hands, etc.

But I’ve never thought about whether I was really sterilizing thoroughly. Well, new research to the rescue. According to Reuters Health, the Journal of Environmental Health just published a study finding that two minutes on full power in the common household microwave is the way to eliminate 99 percent of the germy stuff on the ordinary kitchen sponge. That works for me!

Chlorine has long been accepted as a common, necessary addition to our drinking water in the U.S., as well as our other household-use water sources and our swimming pools. I don’t like the taste, I don’t like the smell, and my eyes and nose burn when I’m around most indoor swimming pools. Now I’ve got another reason to avoid chlorine.

Newly published research (in the Jan. 2007 edition of the American Journal of Epidemiology) suggests a link between drinking, bathing or swimming in chlorinated water, and the risk of bladder cancer. The Reuters Health report of the research relays the researchers’ observations that absorbing chlorine through the skin or lungs (by swimming or bathing) “may have a more powerful carcinogenic effect because it does not undergo detoxification via the liver.”

I am very glad to have the best selling NSF-certified reverse osmosis water purifier to remove chlorine from my drinking water.

My local newspaper reported that FDA-required warnings on pain pills will now include the sometimes deadly risks. Recommended doses of aspirin, ibuprofen and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs carry a risk of gastrointestinal bleeding and kidney injury, which are also linked to cases of death. Wow! Another eye-opener.

The FDA does continue to say these over-the-counter pain pills are safe and effective when used as directed, with the serious risks being rare. But it makes much more sense to me to use natural pain relief options if possible!

The U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention just issued a report cataloging the deaths and illnesses of children under the age of 2 from taking over-the-counter cough and cold medications. According to the HealthDay News report of the study, researchers made two main points: (1) These are drugs and have risks, including the possibility of death in infants under two years of age; and (2) there is NO evidence that these meds, especially ones containing pseudoephedrine [a nasal decongestant] have any positive benefits for children under two.

Two good reasons, it seems to me, NOT to use over-the-counter cough and cold meds in little ones. I resort to drug intervention only as a last resort, but I have to admit, these formulas are so commonly used by the public, and seem innocuous. This report is an eye-opener for me.

So, what to do with an infant who is stuffed up, coughing and miserable? Time (the great healer) and a humidifier by the crib will help. You may also want to try some pure alfalfa tablets dissolved in warm water. Try dispensing the solution with a dropper. Alfalfa is a natural decongestant with side benefits not side effects.

Add a B to the alphabet line-up of nutrients that can help prevent Alzheimer’s Disease. (see earlier post about C and E) Recently reported in the Archives of Neurology is a study identifying folate, one of the B nutrients, as being linked to a reduced risk of Alzheimer’s. Researchers looked at folate (also called folic acid) both eaten in food (whole grains, leafy green vegetables) and taken in supplement form.

There is something particular to note about folate (or folic acid). As one of the B nutrients, it occurs with the other B’s that make up the complex but is a hard one to absorb because it tends to get bound up with the others in the matrix. Look for a supplement with a guaranteed delivery system.

Well, the 12 days of Christmas are officially over (way over ). It’s time to return from break! There’s a lot of important health and wellness news to share with you in this new year.

First of all, let’s take a look at an interesting study telling us to beware of studies! Researchers have reported that if a study of a beverage is funded by the beverage industry, the results may be questionable. According to Reuters Health, “Studies funded entirely by industry were four times to eight times more likely to be favorable to the financial interests of the sponsors than those paid for by other groups, the researchers found.” These findings were consistent with past similar findings on drug studies funded by drug companies.

Why is this so? is the question that comes immediately to my mind. The lead researcher of this study was quick to defend the researchers, but suggested it may be because unfavorable studies are simply not published or because researchers are restricted by the sponsor in the ways studies can be formulated.

These findings are part of the body of research making up the scientific record, which is thereby distorted. And, of course, people can be misled by these published findings. So, if you read about a study saying milk can help people lose weight, tomato juice might prevent cancer or there are benefits to fizzy sodas, beware!