The Theory of Darkness

An Introduction to Some Aspects of Physics

Introduction

For many years people have believed that electric light bulbs emitted a form of energy called “light”.  Recent research has proved that this supposition to be false, just like the debunked theory that the world was flat.

The Theory of Darkness
The new Theory of Darkness originates from scientists based in the mystical areas of the Middle East, where they have time and the opportunities to study this phenomenon in detail.  The theory states that electric light bulbs DO NOT emit Light - they absorb Darkness.  In addition to promulgating and adding this knowledge to the Worlds reservoir of basic information, the Theory of Darkness also presents a number of other basic theories about the properties of darkness.  For example, the Speed of Darkness is greater than the Speed of Light and darkness has a greater mass.

The deadly toll of sitting

Have a desk job? Like to watch “Dancing With the Stars” or “CSI” every night? Does your sofa have a permanent imprint of your butt in it? Then stand up while you read this, because I’m talking to you.

I’ve told you before how too much time on your rear can boost your risk of disease and an early death, and the latest word out of Australia shows just how quickly it can happen to you.

All it takes is an office job and a little too much TV time, because a look at data on 222,000 Australians 45 years old and up finds that people who sit for 11 hours a day or more have a 45 percent higher risk of death over three years.

Don’t sit quite that much? Don’t get comfy in your sofa yet — because keeping your meat in that or any other seat for between 8 and 11 hours a day will boost your risk of death by 15 percent.

In other words, keep your butt in a seat long enough… and your next position won’t be sitting.

Obesity kills sperm

Obesity is like a natural contraceptive. Not only does it make you less attractive to the opposite sex, but men with bulging bellies also make less sperm.

And in plenty of cases, they make none at all.

It’s been proven before, and now it’s proven again as French researchers say their analysis of 14 studies shows that as waistlines grow, sperm counts shrink.

Those 14 studies involved a combined 10,000 men — men of different sizes and shapes, all of whom provided ejaculatory samples for comparison. (Side note: Pity the life of a poor research assistant.)

They found that about a quarter of all men have low sperm counts, and that obese men are 42 percent more likely to be among them than normal-weight men.

Even more frightening, the obese are 81 percent more likely to make no sperm at all.

Overweight men, guys who haven’t reached the obese zone yet, were 11 percent and 39 percent more likely than the normal weight guys to have low or no sperm — but let’s face reality here: If you’re badly overweight, you’re probably in no condition to be “doing it” anyway.

All that huffing and puffing makes sex more work than pleasure, and possibly dangerous work at that. And that’s even assuming you can get it up in the first place, because obesity kills erections.

That’s because extra body fat has the unique ability to turn testosterone into Oestrogen, and once that excess Oestrogen starts flowing through a man’s body he may as well start knitting — because he’s not nearly as much of a man as he used to be.

Want to avoid all that? Then lose the pounds now.

Originally published HERE

Leonardo da Vinci and the Missing Female Reproductive System

Stephanie Pappas
LiveScience
Tue, 08 May 2012

Leonardo da Vinci's sketches of a fetus in the womb, made between 1510 and 1513.

Leonardo da Vinci's 500-year-old illustrations of human anatomy are uncannily accurate with just one major exception: the female reproductive system.

Contact-Poisonous Plants of the World

Touching certain plants can be dangerous. Many plants are highly poisonous when ingested, this is common knowledge. It is remarkable, however, that simply touching certain plant species can also be a serious health hazard. The infamous Stinging Nettles are rather harmless in this respect, but there are much more dangerous contact-poisonous plants in many parts of the world, especially in the tropics. They can cause severe pain, rashes, blisters and leave scars. Some trees are reported to be so powerful that even raindrops falling from them can irritate the skin. Other plant species can cause blindness through the smoke of burning wood or by rubbing the eyes after touching the leaves.

This document wants to give a concise overview of all contact-poisonous plants that may be of interest for travellers. Part 1 briefly introduces the active principles, effects, treatments, and geographical distribution. Part 2 describes about 35 important plant species.

Information about this interesting subject is usually hard to find, as it is scattered across many different sources like scientific works about dermatology or botany, regional field guides, travel literature, and magazines. The rare scientific tomes on the subject usually describe thousands of plant species in medical and botanical detail, focusing on their effects on workers who are exposed to the same plant species for years. Only a small number of plants listed there is dangerous after an occasional contact, which means that useful information for travellers is hidden among huge piles of irrelevant data. So the aim of creating this document was to gather, filter, and densify the lots of available information to be useful to travellers.

Latest update: 25 December 2011 (text revised).

To visit this page click HERE

Breaking the Weight-Loss Plateau

This article is a kind of follow-on to an earlier blog-post called :
The Top 8 most common-sense ways to lose weight fast

Even the most dedicated dieter may be hitting a wall. Why? After a few weeks or even months of steady weight loss, it’s common for the scale refuse to budge. When this happens, you’ve hit a weight loss plateau. The problem is that our bodies are very efficient energy-burning machines and, after a while, they don’t have to work as hard because they become used to your workout routine and diet. With some simple changes, you can start losing weight again. Here are a number of ways to rev up your metabolism, burn calories, and continue to shed pounds.

Stomach cancer and bacterial infection

CBC News Posted: May 7, 2012 3:01 PM ET Last Updated: May 7, 2012 2:54 PM ET

Helicobacter pylori bacteria lurk in the stomachs of about two-thirds of the world's population.

Infection does not cause illness in most infected people, but it is a major risk factor for peptic ulcer disease. It's also responsible for most ulcers of the stomach and upper small intestine, the U.S. National Cancer Institute said.


Dr. Paul Moayyedi calls stomach cancer screening a missed opportunity. (CBC)

Gastric cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the world. It killed about 738,000 people in 2008, according to the World Health Organization's global cancer database.

In Canada, stomach cancer kills about 1,800 people a year. The victims die so rapidly that no large survivor group lobbies for testing.

"I think it's a missed opportunity because the benefits in cancer, in Canada, aren't as dramatic as they might be for something like colon cancer, and maybe politically it's not so exciting. But still every opportunity to save lives is a good one," said Dr. Paul Moayyedi, a gastroenterologist at McMaster University in Hamilton.

It's cheap to test for H. pylori with a blood tests and the infection can be treated early with antibiotics, said Moyyedi, who advocates for screening based in part on its benefits for stomach bleeding and pain.

About one in 20 visits to a family doctor are for stomach problems, he noted.

"This would be the first screening program that could potentially pay for itself and yet no one in the world is yet doing it."

This CBC News article originally posted HERE

The Best Approach To Treating Any Health Condition

PreventDisease.com is a terrific website that provides most valuable information on health. I post some of their articles from time-to-time for your convenience, hoping that it would stimulate interest in this valuable health resource. Below is yet another informative article that contains information that every patient should understand.

The Best Approach To Treating Any Health Condition

Our instant-gratification society teaches us to seek out quick solutions for our health challenges. Google any health condition and you're bound to come across products and procedures that fit into this mold. Have joint pain? Take glucosamine chondroiton. Have chronic acne? Take high doses of vitamin A. Want to lose weight and have rock-hard abs? Obey the golden rule to a flat stomach, and the rule will only cost you $39.95. It's fine to use natural products to optimally support specific areas of your body. But please be mindful of the following principle of healing.



The best way to improve the health of one area of your body is to use all of your daily choices to improve your overall health.

Dr T Lobsang Rampa

All books ever written and published by T. Lobsang Rampa are available for download from this site in various formats FOR FREE
http://www.lobsangrampa.org/research.html

The Third Eye - (Originally published in 1956) this is where it all started; an autobiography about a young man's journey into becoming a medical Lama and undergoing an operation to open the third eye. We are shown a glimpse into the Tibetan way of Lamasery life and the deep understanding of spiritual knowledge. Until this point in time lamasery life was unknown; even to those few who had actually visited Tibet. Lobsang enters the Chakpori Lamasery and learns the most secret of Tibetan esoteric sciences and much more.

Lobsang only ever wrote 19 books and they are listed here in their correct publication order. I have portrayed; very briefly, what each book is about. We are performing scan corrections on all 19 books; albeit there may be the odd error here and there that may have been missed, email me errors found so I may make further corrections.

This personal website has been primarily designed to provide an ideal starting point into further understanding the many obscurities of metaphysics - without the many superfluous frills as many web sites have today - whilst stimulating your curiosity about the many mysteries of life; whilst highlighting mighty truths, many unknown and not understood by the general public. It has never; and never will be, for any financial gain. This personal website is a work of love and adoration for Dr Rampa’s knowledge. You could say this is my candle; a candle I hope which will help you see the way forward without having to curse the darkness; as so many do in today's world.

"What does it matter WHO I am? It is what I WRITE that is important. Throughout the years hordes of experts have tried to prove me wrong. They have failed. If I am a fake, where do I get the knowledge which others are now copying? All my books contain my own personal experiences, nothing of it is the so-called automatic writing beloved of the Press. I am neither possessed nor obsessed. I am just a person trying to do a very, very difficult task in the face of bigotry and jealousy. There are those in High Places in India and elsewhere who could help, but who prostitute their religion to politics and so, for political reasons etc., they deny the truth of what I write!" - http://www.lobsangrampa.org/aboutme.html

Thousands exposed to unsafe tap water in South Africa

Thembi Mogoba gives her son, Kgothatso, water from a tap outside their home in Diepsloot, north of Johannesburg. Diepsloot residents experienced problems with drinking water in the area earlier this year Picture: LAUREN MULLIGAN

Thousands of South Africans, mainly in rural areas, could be exposed to life-threatening waterborne diseases from drinking unsafe tap water.

It emerged that drinking water from 14 municipalities in seven provinces was unsafe for human consumption .

The startling findings, contained in the 2012 Blue Drop Report, were released by Water Affairs Minister Edna Molewa yesterday.

"Residents and visitors are hereby warned not to consume the tap water supplied in these towns without some form of acceptable disinfecting treatment at home [boiling or the addition of bleach]," the report says.

TB infection rate a concern

Health Minister Theuns Botha (right) talking to a patient in a ward in the Harry Comay Hospital that was furnished with ten new beds.

GEORGE NEWS FLASH - Western Cape Minister of Health, Theuns Botha expressed concern this morning over the TB infection rate in the Western Cape.

"The department is doing everything right in terms of treating people, but we are not bringing down the infection rate.

"It remains a huge problem, despite the fact that we are doing everything right in terms of the treatment of TB sufferers," he said.

Botha was at the Harry Comay TB Hospital in George this morning to view ten new beds that were added to one of the wards at a cost of R1-million. The hospital has undergone major renovations to the tune of R35-million during the past four years. The upgrading is in its final stages and should be completed by the end of the year.

Botha attributed the stubborn TB infection rate to poor social conditions in densely populated communities and unhealthy lifestyles.

Another obstacle the department faces, is patients' failure to finish the total course of TB medication to ensure complete recovery.

This leads to Multi Drug Resistant TB (MDR) which is not only life threatening to the patient, but is costing the government much more to treat. Medication for treating ordinary TB costs R370 compared to the medication to treat MDR which costs R30 000. Medicating a patient with Extreme Drug Resistant TB (XDR) costs R130 000. These people have a slim chance of surviving.

- George Herald

Jogging Increases Life Expectancy

PreventDisease.com publishes many worthwhile articles and it is worth visiting their site regularly

Findings on the health effects of jogging have varied in different studies over the years, with a long-running debate that began in the 1970s over whether it's good for you or not. A new, broad review finds a positive effect. As almost any healthy exercise should, regular jogging increases life expectancy 6.2 years for men and 5.6 years for women, according to data from the ongoing Copenhagen City Heart study.



Researcher Peter Schnohr told delegates that the study's most recent analysis, which has yet to be published, shows that between one and two-and-a-half hours of jogging per week at a "slow or average" pace delivers optimum benefits for longevity.

Weight Loss after Pregnancy

“Well, it’s time to change your wardrobe! You can’t fit into your old clothes after having a baby”, – your friends are giving you a teasing advice. Here is how you can make fun of them after just half a year. Now that you checked out of maternity hospital and made your baby comfortable at home, you could finally take a breath. You looked at yourself in a mirror closely and winced! “My body will never be the same!” – a common fear among young mothers. So let’s get this straight. Yes, you will never be the same. But you can get your slim body back!

Why Do We Gain Weight during Pregnancy?
All pregnant women put the weight on. But you can’t say these pounds are unwanted because your body gains them naturally during the pregnancy. Enlarged uterus makes 9-10 pounds, lactating breasts – 2 pounds, increased blood volume – 3 pounds, overall volume of intercellular fluid – 2 pounds. Now add the weight of your baby (5.5-9 lb), and the total is how much you are supposed to gain during the pregnancy.

Why Do Pregnant Women Gain Excess Weight?
Did you get more? Well, your pregnancy is not to blame for the excess then. What is to blame are double portions of ice cream with syrup you indulged yourself in and wrong advice to “eat for two”.

Physical Activity and Hormones during Pregnancy
There are other reasons, too. First, future moms are less active. Some women can hardly walk during last months of their pregnancy. Second, your hormone profile is different. Progesterone and lactation hormone direct metabolism to produce more fat deposits.

You will need nine months to lose the “pregnancy weight”.
The Pregnancy Maths
Let’s do the math. Eating more, reduced physical activity, changes in hormone profile and that’s for forty weeks running. I hope you don’t expect your pregnancy pounds disappear as if by magic the day you deliver your baby.

Time a Woman Needs to Lose the “Pregnancy” Weight
You’ve been gaining pounds for nine months. Theoretically, it will take you three trimesters to shed it. Each period is specific. We are going to discuss them in details in the upcoming articles. What is going on inside your body? What prevents you from losing weight? And what, alternatively, could help to make it happen? This plan will help you lose approximately 2-4 lb monthly. It makes 33 lb a year after childbirth – exactly the number of your pregnancy pounds.
Related content:

1. Mum’s the word
2. Lose Your Weight In 10 Days -Without Diet?

Physical Activity and Hormones during Pregnancy,
Why Do Pregnant Women Gain Excess Weight?,
Why Do We Gain Weight during Pregnancy?

For original SVR News article click HERE

Walking helps with weight loss, improves fitness

Walking even short distances, linked to accompanying coordination and stretching exercises, has a measurable effect on general health, helping to reduce weight, improve the Body Mass Index and reduce blood pressure.

The conclusions result from a study conducted at the University of Halle Wittenberg in Germany and publicized by the German Hikers’ Association.

The association has developed a health walking course together with physiotherapists. For seven weeks, 18 people working in various professions met twice a week to walk and exercise according to the programme. A group of 16 people, from the same age group, not exercising served as a control group.

“The walks were set for one-and-a-half hours,” Christine Merkel of the association told DPA. Depending on the terrain, the walkers covered between 3.7 and 5.6 kilometres per session.

Health And Disease Begin In The Gut

by Dr. Rivkah Roth

There is no Health without a Healthy Duodenum and Intestines

How well our digestion works directly determines how well our body and brain function. The old adage "we are what we eat" appears to hold true.

Frightening Revelations About Where Our Food Comes From

In the past 50 years, a few big companies have moved our food supply from small, idyllic farms to large-scale industrial operations.

In 2008, filmmaker Robert Kenner produced Food, Inc to examine where our food comes from.

The documentary is available for live stream on Netflix. We picked out the highlights.

THIS IS WORTH VIEWING Click here to see the facts >

The original Business Insider article can be found HERE

Scientific Evidence Proves Why Healers See The 'Aura' Of People

4 May 2012

Researchers in Spain have found that many of the individuals claiming to see the aura of people –traditionally called "healers" or "quacks"– actually present the neuropsychological phenomenon known as "synesthesia" (specifically, "emotional synesthesia"). This might be a scientific explanation of their alleged "virtue". In synesthetes, the brain regions responsible for the processing of each type of sensory stimuli are intensely interconnected. This way, synesthetes can see or taste a sound, feel a taste, or associate people with a particular color.


 Credit: University of Granada

10 Facts About Men That Seem To Escape Most Women

The communication barrier between male and female of the human species is an age-old dilemma. We understand that we’re wired differently, yet we’ve never quite managed to find a common language. No one is ever going to accuse men of being complex creatures, mind you, but still women fail to comprehend some fundamental truths about them.   

 The following are ten facts about men that women just haven’t figured out:

-

Eye Color May Indicate Risk For Serious Skin Conditions

Sunday, May 6, 2012

Eye color may be an indicator of whether a person is high-risk for certain serious skin conditions. A study, led by the University of Colorado School of Medicine, shows people with blue eyes are less likely to have vitiligo. It then follows, according to scientists, that people with brown eyes may be less likely to have melanoma. Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disease in which pigment loss results in irregular white patches of skin and hair. Melanoma is the most dangerous kind of skin cancer.

 Credit: Wikipedia

Black Pepper's Secrets As A Fat Fighter

Sun 06 May 2012

A new study provides a long-sought explanation for the beneficial fat-fighting effects of black pepper. The research, published in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, pinpoints piperine — the pungent-tasting substance that gives black pepper its characteristic taste, concluding that piperine also can block the formation of new fat cells.  

Dried Black And White Pepper Corns

Credit: Wikipedia

Washington facing worst whopping-cough epidemic in 70 years

May 4, 2012 – WASHINGTON

More than 1,100 cases of whooping cough have already been diagnosed this year in Washington State, nearly doubling the number seen in typical “peak” years. Washington State is gearing up for one of the worst epidemics of pertussis in nearly seven decades. Pertussis, also known as whooping cough, is a highly contagious bacterial infection that causes a nasty and often severe cough. It is particularly dangerous for young infants. Public health officials have confirmed more than 1,100 cases of whooping cough so far this year in Washington State. Thankfully, no deaths have been reported from this year’s outbreak but 20 infants have been hospitalized already with the illness. Washington’s governor Christine Gregoire announced yesterday that state emergency funds would be available to provide free vaccinations and help spread awareness about the disease and the importance of getting vaccinated. In the U.S. most kids that get immunized receive a series of vaccines against whooping cough at the age of two months. But some kids don’t get immunized, either because their parents object or they are unaware of the importance. Outbreaks of pertussis are not uncoming, but they do tend to run in cycles. Tim Church, a spokesman for the Washington’s state Health Department said the current epidemic in Washington State was running well above typical peak years in the past, when 500 to 600 cases might be reported for an entire year.

–Mother Nature Network

contribution Preppin P.

WHOA WAIT A MINUTE — THEY HAD A Push to ‘Reprogram’ Parents on Vaccines & Disallow Exemptions, JUST LAST YEAR!!
IN 2011
Push to ‘Reprogram’ Parents on Vaccines & Disallow Exemption
(ALSO AT THIS LINK READ “Vaccine Baby Deaths”)
http://healthfreedoms.org/2011/06/23/push-to-reprogram-parents-on-vaccines-disallow-exemptions/
Whooping cough infections are MORE common among children already vaccinated against whooping cough than unvaccinated children.
Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/035466_whooping_cough_vaccines_outbreaks.html#ixzz1tv2v1Zha

“The FDA is Attacking One of the Basic Tenets of a Free Society” For the Sake of Corporate Interests

Mike Adams "The Health Ranger" was recently on RT talking about why it is that the FDA has come after raw milk producers. It's not about health. It's about controlling a commodity.

As people continue to abandon processed, shipped foods, the food industry, in this case the established dairy industry, has grown increasingly weary. They don't want to see farmers markets go totally mainstream. They do not want people contracting for produce among themselves. This is a fundamental threat to their business and it appears, via the recent Food Modernization Safety Act, they have found a way to insulate their businesses that much more (dairy is already chock full of subsidies and weird rules which discourage entry into the market.)
Mike Adams makes the point that if someone contracts with another for eggs, or milk, or steaks, or strawberries, what business is it of the federal government? The answer of course is that it is none of the federal government's business. There is no interstate commerce here. Just 2 people who share a love of raw milk, one selling, one buying. Here in the foothills of Virginia people do this all the time.
The anchor of the show makes a couple of good points of her own. One is how is it that we can buy knives (which can kill people) but we can't buy or sell raw milk? Also she makes the point that it is perfectly legal to sell genetically modified foods to the consumer with no indication that the food is GMO, but one can't buy milk that one knows is raw?
Milk is now a focus of the federal government. Milk.
What's next federal regulation of the selling of used cars? I could see this.
The feds say that cars are dangerous potentially and so the individual can't be trusted to contract with another for the selling and purchase of said car. No, the federal government prefers, nay demands, that you sell your car to an intermediary first which meets specific federal regs. For the saftey of the public of course. Carmax don't get any ideas.
This kind of micromanagement is disasterous for the economy, and it costs you and me money, time, quality, and variety all the while enriching vested interests and the evergrowing burocracy.
To watch video click HERE

South Africa an Unhealthy State

R14m in medicines lost
06 May | 16:06

By PIET RAMPEDI

Six months after President Jacob Zuma placed Limpopo under administration, the cash-strapped province faces a potential health crisis after over-stocked medicines worth millions expired, while others were allegedly looted or sold by corrupt officials.

Boxes of expired medicines worth about R14 million were awaiting disposal after expiring two months ago, the Weekend Argus’ sister publication, The Sunday Independent, has ascertained.
The medication, which includes antibiotics, ARVs and HIV test kits, is in a storeroom of the provincial pharmaceutical depot at Seshego, outside Polokwane, according to staff, unions and official documents.
The stocks were ordered as part of the pharmaceutical contracts awarded irregularly to eight companies – including a firm owned by former ANC Youth League leader Julius Malema’s cousin, Tshepo – in February last year. The pharmaceutical contract was among controversial tenders blamed for the province’s R2 billion cash flow crisis.
The department launched an internal fraud and corruption probe into the tenders last year, after it emerged they had been awarded through a written-quotation system, despite Treasury regulations requiring competitive bids for contracts of more than R500 000.
Tshepo Malema’s Arandi Trading Enterprises scored contracts worth R44m.
The department outsourced the procurement, warehousing and distribution of medicines to Vuna Healthcare Solutions in 1995, but the company’s contract was not renewed when it expired in January.
Now a Sunday Independent investigation has revealed that not only did overstocked medicines expire, but officials allegedly colluded with suppliers to over-stock in exchange for kickbacks and other favours.
Orders were also duplicated or placed without needs analyses being conducted.
It emerged the depot accepted medicines with expiry dates just months away, despite regulatory bodies the SA Pharmacy Council and the Medicines Control Council requiring a minimum 18 months before expiry.
A staffer said: “Vuna officials had relationships with suppliers. They would just order stock to support friends. They duplicated orders…”
Phuti Seloba, Limpopo health department spokesman, confirmed medicines worth R14m had expired, and the province’s 46 hospitals and more than 360 clinics had run out.
The department was “aware of allegations of corruption and tender irregularities”.
“Investigations have been conducted and corrective measures have been taken, and as for nepotism, the department has yet to receive such a complaint if, indeed, it exists.”
He blamed the supply problem on “short-dated” stock “which could not be used”, among other things.
Seloba blamed Vuna for the mess, adding that the depot crisis had been reported to the national government.
Stanley Mashego, one of Vuna’s directors, refused to comment on the expired medicines and allegations of corruption and collusion, “because Vuna and the department are dealing with that, and it has not yet been finalised”.
Public sector doctors with the Junior Doctors Association of SA and the SA Medical Association have threatened to strike over the crisis.
Read the original Sunday Independent article HERE

Unhealthy health regulations

By Chris Moerdyk
2012-05-07 07:14

I have to wonder about the obsessive nature of bureaucrats who so often start off really well developing laws and regulations that would be of immense benefit to the  nation and then they get onto a roll and just can’t seem to stop themselves from regulating and regulating as though there were no tomorrow.

Inevitably, they end up by creating laws that effectively kick the consumer in the teeth while trying to protect them consumer from dental decay.

Two months ago new regulations came into effect in South Africa spelling out what food advertising and labelling could and could not say.

Basically, it all looked pretty darn good. As someone who has this strange habit of wandering through shops overseas looking at how various brand promote themselves, I have for years now, believed that South African food labels have been way head of anywhere else in the world in terms of useful information. Especially as I am someone who has to watch my carbohydrate and sugar intake.

At first glance our new regulations looked great.

I was interested to see that the editor of a magazine called Health Intelligence that my wife and health conscious daughters-in-law now treat as some sort of oracle, agrees with me.

He pointed out that, for example, the regulations forbid any food labelling making a nutrition claim if such a claim applies to all foods in that class anyway.

Like saying that Brand X Olive Oil is "cholesterol free" because olive oil doesn't contain cholesterol anyway.

The new regulations make it compulsory to list allergens such as soya, dairy, eggs, nuts and shellfish among others.

Great regulations and in fact, I would have been happier if they had gone further and insisted on warning the population of this country against overindulgence of refined sugar - something that has effectively screwed up my life.

Anyway, let me get back to this obsession with bureaucrats not knowing when to stop and taking good health regulations and turning them into unhealthy regulations as well.

As Health Intelligence magazine rightly pointed out: "The regulations have gone too far in their noble intention to (protect) consumers from misleading claims, they have effectively banned truthful claims as well."

This means that consumers can no longer be informed about the health value of beneficial ingredients. In fact, the words "healthy" and "nutritious" are no longer permitted as a description of bona-fide nutritious and healthy ingredients.

I find it quite staggering that these new regulations effectively ban substantiated and truthful claims.

Even the Health Products Association says it is "disappointed that helpful information with regard to the relationship between certain foods and certain diseases such as osteoporosis, cardiovascular conditions and even cancer, have not been addressed in the regulations".

Seems crazy to me and is a typical example of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Basically, it all boils down to taking away the consumer's right to choose.

Our government bureaucrats started off being wonderful guardians of our health and well being with these regulations, but have inadvertently turned out to be over-protective nannies that simply do not trust the "children" in their charge.

It seems such a pity that some bureaucrats just don’t know when to stop when they are on to a really good thing.

- Follow Chris on Twitter.

Send your comments to Chris
Disclaimer: News24 encourages freedom of speech and the expression of diverse views. The views of columnists published on News24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of News24.

- Read the original News24 article HERE

Study finds IVF link to birth defects

Heather Kennett,From: Sunday Herald Sun,May 06, 2012 12:00AM

THE risk of major birth defects in babies conceived using commonly available fertility treatments is nearly double compared with those conceived naturally, a world-first study by Australian researchers has found.

Groundbreaking Adelaide University research has shown that the risk for couples using IVF is 7.2 per cent, compared with a 5.8 per cent risk for babies conceived naturally.
But when sperm is injected into an egg - a procedure called intracytoplasmic sperm injection used to overcome male infertility - there is a 9.9 per cent risk of birth defects.
And yet it found that freezing embryos substantially reduced the risk of birth defects, including cerebral palsy and heart and muscle conditions, particularly for the sperm injection treatment.
Another major finding in the study, to be published this week in the New England Journal of Medicine, was the discovery of a tripling of the risk in women using a widely available low-cost fertility treatment - the steroid clomiphene citrate - to stimulate ovulation at home, without the supervision of a clinic.
The research linked a census of more than 6100 assisted conception births to South Australia's registry of 308,974 births and 18,000 recorded birth defects between 1986 and 2002.
It also compared the risk of birth defects across all infertility treatments with pregnancies in women with no record of infertility, making it the most comprehensive of its kind in the world.
The findings come as the use of assisted reproductive technology in Australia doubled over the five years to 2009, according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
Lead researcher Associate Professor Michael Davies said, though the majority of births resulting from assisted conception were free of birth defects, the study aimed to examine the differences in risks between available treatment and allow couples to make more informed decisions.
"For IVF (7.2 per cent), we were able to largely discount the apparent increased risk that is there in the crude data and we can explain that excess of risk purely in terms of patient characteristics such as maternal age and being overweight."
Melbourne IVF medical director Dr Lyndon Hale said the jury was still out on whether birth defects were caused by the actual IVF technology or there were inherent problems in the infertile population.
"The study didn't control for the fertile-versus-infertile population, so infertile people may somehow have more of these problems as opposed to the treatment causing the problems," Dr Hale said.
"The findings will make couples more worried, but it's part of our consent process that we advise them of all the risks."
- with Brigid O'Connell
Originally published HERE
Detailed article can be found HERE

Further reading :

Higher Risk of Birth Defects from Assisted Reproduction, Study Suggests - http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120505130923.htm

'Birth defect link' to IVF injections - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9248899/Birth-defect-link-to-IVF-injections.html

Link Between ICSI Fertility Procedure, Birth Defects Discovered - http://www.redorbit.com/news/health/1112529032/link-between-icsi-fertility-procedure-birth-defects-discovered/

Fertility injections linked to birth defects - http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9247766/Fertility-injections-linked-to-birth-defects.html

Picture Emerging on Genetic Risks of IVF - http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/17/health/17ivf.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

Child health problems linked to IVF - http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-180379/Child-health-problems-linked-IVF.html

Study links fertility treatment, birth defect risk - http://www.mercurynews.com/health/ci_20557826/study-links-fertility-treatment-birth-defect-risk?source=rss