(HealthDay News) After nearly a year of headlines, worry and confusion, the H1N1 swine flu virus is now out of the news. Is it out of circulation as well?

The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds no states reporting widespread influenza activity and only five reporting regional activity…

CDC spokesman Tom Skinner [said] that it's too early to dismiss H1N1 altogether.

"We're still seeing activity across the country. It's certainly not at the levels of late October, early November, but activity is still going on, and we have many weeks left in our flu season," he stated. "It's too early to say this is over."

But experts believe the threat from H1N1 has ebbed for now.

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(Science Daily) Helmets reduce the risk of head injury among skiers and snowboarders by 35% with no evidence of an increased risk of neck injury, according to an article…

The study, an analysis of 12 studies conducted in Europe, Asia, and North America, found that helmet use in recreational activities is beneficial. However, the authors were unable to determine the design, quality, or fit of the helmets.

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(Science Daily) Chemists at Oregon State University have discovered and synthesized a new compound that in laboratory and animal tests appears to be similar to, but may have advantages over one of the most important antidepressant medications in the world…

"Based on our results so far, this promises to be one of the most effective antidepressants yet developed," said James White, a professor emeritus of chemistry at OSU. "It may have efficacy similar to some important drugs being used now, but with fewer side effects."…

"Our compound is 10 times better than Cymbalta at inhibiting the re-uptake of norepinephine and comes close to the holy grail of a perfectly balanced antidepressant," White said. "It should produce even fewer side effects, such as concerns with constipation and hypotension. Final results, of course, won't be known until the completion of human clinical trials."

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(Tribune Newspapers) Salt

Excess salt can lead to excess fluid retention in the blood. This makes the circulatory system fuller and the pressure inside it greater…

[M]ost medical experts say that limiting salt consumption is a good general rule. Between 1,500 and 2,300 mg of sodium a day are considered plenty for healthy adults - that's a teaspoon of salt or less - and if you're older than 50, or you're African-American, or you have other risk factors for salt sensitivity, you should stick to the low end of that range.

Potassium, fish oil, fiber

One relatively unsung hero in the battle against high blood pressure may be potassium. Results haven't been unanimous, but a good deal of research suggests that healthy doses of the mineral can be very good for your health - and that includes by cutting blood pressure…

Other studies have found a blood pressure-lowering link for both fiber and fish oil…

Exercise

Most studies about the effects of exercise on blood pressure have looked at aerobic exercise, although some evidence shows that resistance training may also be effective. Recommendations call for exercising every day (or at least most days) for 30 to 45 minutes. (Moderate exercise may be just as effective, and possibly more, than higher intensity exercise.) Blood pressure can drop in just a few weeks of regular exercise. It can also pop right back up if you stop exercising…

Weight loss

As people gain weight, their blood pressure tends to go up. Fortunately, as they lose weight, their blood pressure also goes down…

Even modest weight loss is effective at lowering blood pressure for those who already have high blood pressure and also for those in the high normal or prehypertensive range - that area where your readings are elevated but not high enough to be defined as clearly high…

Stress reduction

Some - but not all - stress-reduction techniques have been shown to lower high blood pressure.

For example, a number of studies have found that reducing blood pressure may be as simple as breathing — slow, regular breathing…

Alcohol, smoking and caffeine

Some scientists believe that red wine, in moderate amounts, may improve vascular function and have a less harmful effect on blood pressure than other forms of alcohol - maybe even a positive effect. But this was not supported by a 2005 study that found drinking red wine and beer increased systolic blood pressure by about the same amount.

Any time you smoke a cigarette, it can produce an immediate - but temporary - surge in blood pressure because of the nicotine. But there's no evidence that smoking increases your chances of developing chronic high blood pressure. Still, smoking and high blood pressure appear to have a synergistic (greater than additive) effect on the risk of hemorrhagic stroke. So quit, already.

Like nicotine, caffeine can make your blood pressure shoot up temporarily, especially if you're not used to it. But, as with cigarettes, there's no definitive evidence that drinking a cup of coffee every day - or maybe a couple of cups - increases blood pressure over the long term.

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(Science Daily) By considering molecular-level events on a broader scale, researchers now have a clearer, if more complicated, picture of how one class of immune cells goes wrong when loaded with cholesterol. The findings reported in the February 3rd issue of Cell Metabolism, show that, when it comes to the development of atherosclerosis and heart disease, it's not about any one bad actor -- it's about a network gone awry.

The new findings also highlight a pretty remarkable thing, Heinecke says: "Despite 30 years of study, we still don't know how cholesterol causes heart disease." But, with the new findings, scientists are getting closer.

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Unlike sleep apnea, in which you actually stop breathing, ordinary snoring doesn't appear to harm your health. Still, many people appropriately seek treatment for snoring because it can cause embarrassment and, as you mention, can seriously disrupt the rest of a sleep partner…

Steps you can take to reduce snoring take aim at the many factors that can contribute to a more narrowed airway. These factors include:

•Being overweight or obese. Extra bulk in your mouth and throat narrow your airway. Losing weight can reduce snoring.

•Alcohol consumption. This can cause excessive relaxation of muscles and tissues around your throat. Avoid drinking alcoholic beverages at least four hours before bed.

•Nasal obstruction. Upstream factors such as nasal obstruction can cause problems downstream, such as air flow at the level of the throat. Your doctor may suggest a range of therapies for obstructed nasal passages, such as adhesive nasal strips or corticosteroid nasal sprays.

•Sleep position. Lying on your back allows your tongue to sag and narrow your airway. A number of techniques can be used to train yourself to sleep on your side.

•Your mouth anatomy. Features such as large tonsils can obstruct your airway. Surgical removal of an obvious obstruction is likely to decrease snoring.

•Smoking is also associated with an increased risk of snoring, possibly through toxic effects on the airway lining or muscles. People who stop smoking have lower rates of snoring than do active smokers…

Several surgical procedures are available to help reduce snoring, either by cutting away excess mouth and throat tissue or by stiffening tissues of the soft palate to prevent vibration and sagging.

But surgery is usually considered a last resort for snoring because it's costly and can cause side effects or complications.

Read more.

Community: I’m a terrible snorer. I no longer smoke or drink alcohol, and I’m losing weight, but I’ve also learned to sleep on my side. If I turn on my back during the night, I wake up from the snoring.

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(Booster Shots) With its cartoon book cover and high-concept premise, "The Big Breakfast Diet" looks and sounds like a gimmick. Eat a breakfast of up to 3,000 calories -- loading up on protein, sweets and starches -- and watch the pounds disappear? Uh, right.

But first impressions might be deceiving. Dr. Daniela Jakubowicz, a specialist in endocrinology and metabolic disease, developed the eating plan while treating patients with thyroid disorders, Type 2 diabetes and other health conditions associated with weight gain…

Jakubowicz’s premise is that it’s not what you eat but when you eat it that matters. She says overweight people often eat out of sync with what their bodies need -- which is more food early in the day and less at night…

[Breakfast], she says, should be consumed before 9 a.m. (10 a.m. in fall and winter). Lunch should be eaten by 2 or 3 p.m., even if you’re not yet hungry, and be limited to vegetables, protein and fruit. Dinner is minimal – ideally nothing, or just vegetables, a small amount of lean protein and maybe some fruit.



Follow this plan, she says, and the excess weight will melt away and stay off. And you will be spared the afternoon and evening cravings for sweets and starches that plague many a dieter.

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(New York Times) The F.D.A. may update serving sizes for foods like chips, cookies and ice cream to reflect how Americans really eat.

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(New York Times) This purple and orange mixture is both sweet and sour.

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(Reader’s Digest) Considered an aphrodisiac by some, this fruit is also high in good fat and packed with vitamins and fiber.

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(Booster Shots) Eliminating financial barriers and providing more direct contact among patients and physicians and providers are the best ways to improve the rate of screening for colorectal cancer, a National Institutes of Health Consensus Conference recommended Thursday after meeting for three days this week in Bethesda, Md…

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in the United States and part of the reason for that is limited screening, because the disease is highly curable if caught early. As recently as 1997, only 20% to 30% of the eligible population--primarily those over the age of 50--underwent screening. By 2008, the percentage was up to 55%, but that is still very low compared with screening for other cancers, which can reach 80% to 90%. Experts would like to see the rate get up to at least 80%, and the consensus panel was convened to consider ways to do that.

One way is to have better insurance coverage. High co-pays and lack of insurance cause many people to ignore calls for screening.

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(Reuters) AstraZeneca has struck a deal with the commercial arm of a British charity to try and develop a new class of a "cancer metabolism" drugs.

The aim is to exploit the fact cancer cells use energy differently to normal cells, by creating new drugs that control cell metabolism in order to attack tumors whilst sparing normal tissues, the two partners said Sunday.

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(UPI) Twenty-five percent of motor vehicle crash victims treated in U.S. hospital emergency departments in 2006 had no health insurance, health officials say.

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(AP) Government is poised to become king of the hill in America's vast health care system, with or without President Barack Obama's planned redo, according an economic report released Thursday.

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(UPI) More than $119 million awarded to U.S. states and territories will support public efforts to promote healthier lifestyles, federal officials said.

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(HealthDay News) When the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts take the field for Super Bowl XLIV on Sunday, emotions will be running high, so high that some fans can run the risk of a heart attack and even death…

The best way to avoid this unhappy consequence is, "don't take it so seriously. Don't get so excited about it," [Dr. Stephen Siegel, a cardiologist,] said. "Enjoy the game, have fun with it, but don't spend your life savings on betting on it and don't have your life invested in the outcome."

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(UPI) More than 430,000 U.S. women die each year of heart disease, but many women are unfamiliar with signs, U.S. researchers say…

Research shows 95 percent of women who had suffered heart attacks said they experienced symptoms a month or more before experiencing their heart attack, [cardiologist Dr. Khan] Hoang said. The symptoms most commonly reported were unusual fatigue, sleep disturbance, and shortness of breath, the researchers said.

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(Reuters Health) The saturated fat found mainly in meat and dairy products has a bad reputation, but a new analysis of published studies finds no clear link between people's intake of saturated fat and their risk of developing heart disease…

"No one is saying that some saturated fat is going to harm you...people should enjoy their food," said Dr. Robert H. Eckel, a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Denver.

But, he pointed out, many studies have shown that dietary saturated fat can raise people's cholesterol, and the new analysis is not going to change recommendations to keep saturated fat intake in check.

Perhaps more importantly, though, Eckel said that the thinking on diet and heart health is moving away from a focus on single nutrients and toward "dietary patterns."

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(Reuters Health) Men who don't smoke and eat a lot of soy may have a lower risk of lung cancer, according to a new study.

Soy contains isoflavones, which act similarly to the hormone estrogen, and may have anti-cancer qualities in hormone-related cancers of the breast and prostate, the researchers… Cells in the lung have properties that suggest they may also respond to isoflavones.

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(UPI) U.S. researchers say a plant long used in Chinese medicine may become a cancer treatment…

"The celastrol induces the protein to form fibrils and clusters it together, which inactivates it," researcher Ahmed Chadli said in a statement. "When they are clustered, they're not available for other functions that help cancer grow."

Chadli envisions celastrol being used in combination with other therapeutic agents to help patients resist cancer.

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(UPI) U.S. researchers say a pattern of genetic markers seems to protect against alcohol problems…

The study … found [abuse victims] with the H1 haplotype had three times the risk of heavy drinking and alcohol dependence as those who had not been sexually abused, but abuse victims with the H2 haplotype seemed to be protected against the risks.

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(USA Today) About one in five people can train all they want but, because of their genetic makeup, are not likely to see much improvement in their endurance levels, an international team of researchers reported Thursday.

Still, the authors caution, their findings shouldn't be an excuse to throw away the running shoes.

"There is a whole host of other physiological responses" to exercise, such as heart rate, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and insulin metabolism, that are related to genes other than those implicated in the aerobic response, says co-author Tuomo Rankinen…

Even if you're genetically predisposed to see little improvement in endurance, "it doesn't mean that you don't get any benefit from exercise," Rankinen says. "That's an important public health message."

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(HealthDay News) The makeup of your brain may influence your social standing, a new study suggests.

Researchers conducted PET scans of the brains of healthy volunteers and assessed their levels of social status and social support. The results suggest that social status and social support are associated with the density of dopamine D2/D3 receptors in an area of the brain called the striatum, which plays a major role in reward and motivation…

"These data shed interesting light into the drive to achieve social status, a basic social process," said journal editor Dr. John Krystal. "It would make sense that people who had higher levels of D2 receptors, i.e., were more highly motivated and engaged by social situations, would be high achievers and would have higher levels of social support."

The study also may help improve understanding about why certain people are more likely to abuse alcohol and drugs. Previous studies have suggested that lower levels of social status and social support contribute to the risk of substance abuse.

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Community: This is another one of those chicken or egg situations. Which came first, the greater number of dopamine receptors, or the social status?

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(HealthDay News) -- Many asthma patients who use herbal remedies experience increased symptoms and poorer quality of life, a new study shows…

"Results indicate patients using herbal remedies are less likely to take their prescribed medications. These patients report worse asthma control and poorer quality of life than patients who follow medication plans. Underuse of prescribed medication is one of the main factors contributing to poor outcomes in asthma patients," study author Dr. Angkana Roy [said].

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(LiveScience.com) Here's a possible future diet tip: Move to a mountaintop.

In a recent study, obese individuals who spent time at a mountain facility at high altitudes lost weight without going on a diet. And they kept the pounds off for at least four weeks once they returned to normal altitudes.

The researchers suspect part of the weight loss can be attributed to the thin air, which may have decreased participants' appetites and increased their metabolism, meaning they burned more calories sans a workout. While at high altitudes, the obese subjects also showed an increase in levels of leptin, a hormone that when present can make one feel full.

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(McClatchy Newspapers) States require that children have all their immunizations before they can enroll in school. Veterinarians send reminder cards to pet owners when Fido or Tabby is due for a shot. No such safety net exists for adults, however, and especially for the elderly, who are particularly susceptible to many diseases that vaccines can prevent, according to a new report about the low rate of adult immunization.

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(Science Daily) High-coverage human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccinations among adolescents and young women may result in a rapid reduction of genital warts, cervical cell abnormalities, and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures, researchers report in a new study…

"Our results provide strong evidence to suggest that the ongoing HPV vaccination programs in adolescent girls and young women will result within a few years in a notable reduction of genital warts, cervical cytological abnormalities, and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures related to precursor lesions in the cervix, vulva, and vagina," the authors write. "It is anticipated that these reductions will eventually translate into lower rates of cancer of the cervix, vulva, and vagina."

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(RealAge.com) In a study of premenopausal women, those who received the most hugs and massages from their significant others had the highest levels of oxytocin -- a hormone and brain chemical linked to happy feelings and security in relationships. And even better, oxytocin is related to lower heart rate and blood pressure…

Bust stress further with these relax-already strategies:

• Learn how to breathe to oxygenate your body, remove toxins, and calm your mind.
• Let the YOU Docs show you a few practical ways to turn off your worries.
• Discover the secret to happiness (it's not money!) and how to get it.

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(UPI) Seeing someone perform a virtuous deed -- especially helping another person -- makes people feel good, U.S. researchers say…

[P]articipants who viewed the uplifting TV clip spent almost twice as long helping the research assistant as participants who saw the neutral TV clip or the comedy clip.

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Community: Unfortunately, much of our news and entertainment media is geared toward stimulating feelings of excitement and/or anxiety, than toward making us feel good and willing to help others. They’re killing us.

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(HealthDay News) For many people whose depression goes untreated, symptoms persist and worsen over time, eventually leading to a diagnosis of major depression, according to new research…

"These findings come in the wake of intensive focus by the media on a study reported in January, which showed that depressed patients with mild symptoms did not do any better with medication than with placebo, suggesting that patients with mild depression don't need treatment," the study's lead author, Myrna M. Weissman, [said]. "Of course, patients in a clinical trail are receiving a considerable amount of attention and are not untreated."

"Our findings suggest that mildly depressed, untreated patients do not have a benign course of illness," she said.

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(RealAge.com) Which do you have on the menu -- chicken, beef, pork, or fish? Your answer just might affect your life span.

Your best bet: Choose two legs -- or a couple of flippers -- over four. In a recent study, people who ate the most red (beef, pork) or processed (hot dogs, bacon) meats had the highest risk of dying during the 10-year study…

The red-meat and processed-meat eaters also had a higher risk of dying from cancer or heart disease. Why? Researchers aren't exactly sure. Could be the preservatives in processed meats. Could be the artery-clogging fats found in beef and bacon. Or it could be that both red- and processed-meat eaters consume less body-friendly foods like whole grains, fruit, and veggies. In fact, other research shows that vegetarians fare best when it comes to heart disease mortality.

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(Science Daily) [S]cientists at the University of Missouri have created a soy substitute for chicken that is much like the real thing. The new soy chicken also has health benefits, including lowering cholesterol and maintaining healthy bones.

[A]n MU professor of biological engineering and food science … is leading the project to create a low-cost soy substitute for chicken. His research… has led to a process that does more than just add color and flavor to soy. [He] has developed a process that makes the soy product simulate the fibrous qualities of a chicken breast.

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Community: Mmmmm..... Soy wings.....

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Creole Chicken and Vegetables

Enjoy the flavor of summer anytime by using frozen bell peppers and frozen okra in this speedy Creole dish. For a filling meal, serve over rice.

A Month of Heart-Healthy Recipes

10 Secrets to Fresh & Easy Cooking Host of Real Simple. Real Life. and A Lyon in the Kitchen, food expert Nathan Lyon believes the best tasting dinners come from fresh ingredients. Follow his 10 easy tips for getting the all the flavor of those ingredients from the grocery store to your dinner table.

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(HealthDay News) Biofeedback used to be thought of as alternative therapy -- something that might help but wasn't considered a fully legitimized medical treatment.

No more.

U.S. soldiers returning from war now use biofeedback to help deal with post-traumatic stress disorder. People suffering from chronic pain often find relief in biofeedback. Even athletes are using biofeedback to gain better control over their bodies…

With biofeedback, someone is strapped to sensors that provide real-time readings of internal bodily processes, such as muscle tension, blood pressure, heart rate, skin temperature and brain-wave activity. They then are taught strategies by which they can gain better control over those processes, which in turn can help them achieve certain health goals.

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(Science Daily) When a patient receives acupuncture treatment, a sensation called deqi can be obtained; scientific analysis shows that this deactivates areas within the brain that are associated with the processing of pain.

Dr Hugh MacPherson … says: "These results provide objective scientific evidence that acupuncture has specific effects within the brain which hopefully will lead to a better understanding of how acupuncture works."

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(Science Daily) Overeating in mice triggers a molecule once considered to be only involved in detecting and fighting viruses to also destroy normal metabolism, leading to insulin resistance and setting the stage for diabetes. The new study … specifically links together the immune system and metabolism, a pairing increasingly suspected in diseases that include -- in addition to diabetes -- heart disease, fatty liver, cancer, and stroke.

Understanding how to regulate the molecule through targeted drugs or nutrients could eventually change the way these diseases are prevented and treated in humans.

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Community: Did you catch that? Drugs OR NUTRIENTS. Scientists are finally starting to think in terms of nutrients as well as drugs.

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(Science Daily) The brain's innate interest in the new and different may help trump the power of addictive drugs, according to research… In controlled experiments, novelty drew cocaine-treated rats away from the place they got cocaine.

Novelty could help break the vicious cycle of treatment and relapse, especially for the many addicts with novelty-craving, risk-taking personalities, the authors said. Drug-linked settings hold particular sway over recovering addicts, which may account in part for high rates of relapse.

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Community: We train children by redirecting their attention. Cesar Millan trains dogs by redirecting their attention. One of the techniques I used while withdrawing from nicotine addiction was redirecting my attention (with deep breaths and getting up and walking around, whenever I felt a craving). Maybe the same technique could help fight eating addiction, as well.

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(HealthDay News) A new nanofiber gel that promotes cartilage growth in joints has been developed by U.S. researchers.

The material is injected into the damaged joint and stimulates bone marrow stem cells to produce natural cartilage, without the need for expensive growth factors. No current therapy can do this, according to the researchers, from Northwestern University.

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(Science Daily) Using lasers and nanoparticles, scientists at Rice University have discovered a new technique for singling out individual diseased cells and destroying them with tiny explosions. The scientists used lasers to make "nanobubbles" by zapping gold nanoparticles inside cells. In tests on cancer cells, they found they could tune the lasers to create either small, bright bubbles that were visible but harmless or large bubbles that burst the cells.

"Single-cell targeting is one of the most touted advantages of nanomedicine, and our approach delivers on that promise with a localized effect inside an individual cell," said Rice physicist Dmitri Lapotko, the lead researcher on the project. "The idea is to spot and treat unhealthy cells early, before a disease progresses to the point of making people extremely ill."

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(Reuters) Changes to Medicare, the federal health plan for the elderly, may be damaging important aspects of cancer care in the United States, according to a study released on Thursday.

They found that many centers offering cancer care are losing money on patients and predicted that some may be forced out of business.

The Community Oncology Alliance, which commissioned the report, said the findings have implications for healthcare reform in Congress but also require immediate attention from Medicare.

"For some patients, particularly in rural areas, it means the infusion clinic that is close to them will close," the group's Dr. David Eagle said in a telephone interview.

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(HealthDay News) As jobless Americans lost private health insurance coverage and joined the Medicaid rolls during the recession, U.S. health spending jumped 5.7 percent to $2.5 trillion in 2009, government projections show.

That means that American taxpayers will foot the bill for more than half of U.S. health care expenditure by 2012, the report's authors said.

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(UPI) Millions make New Year's resolutions to exercise more or lose weight, but by February many of those commitments are forgotten, a U.S. psychiatrist says…

To help resolutions become new habits, [Dr. Timothy] Wolff suggests setting small goals, finding activities you enjoy that can help in attaining these goals and communicating your objectives to others, so as to be more accountable.

"As the proverb goes: The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step," Wolff said. "So, make sure the first step is doable."

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Community: And it’s important to persist. When I fail I start again.

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(HealthDay News) "Some people may think that protecting the skin from the sun in the winter is not as important because they are not feeling the heat as much in the winter," said Dr. April Armstrong… "As a result, some people may not be as diligent putting on sunscreen during the winter."…

"Winter sports can be hard on the skin," Armstrong said. "Winter sports such as skiing, snowboarding and snowshoeing often leave a person exposed in the sun for long periods of time."

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(Reuters Health) Reducing the price of healthy foods could land more whole grains, carrots and bananas in shopping carts, even months after the discounts are removed, according to a new study.

As rates of obesity continue to rise in much of the developed world, so does the urgency to improve people's food choices…

According to a report in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, after six months of intervention, participants receiving price discounts bought approximately 1.7 more pounds (790 grams) of healthy food per week compared with those not randomized to pay the lower prices.

This was an 11 percent increase from purchases made prior to the study and included just over a pound (480 grams) more fruits and vegetables per week, or about six servings.

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(Cooking Light) The traditional game day foods are crowd pleasers, but they can also be some of the worst foods for you health-wise. With these simple makeovers, you don't have to find new foods to serve on Super Bowl Sunday.

• Creamy Dip
• Beefy Chili
• Loaded Nachos

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Oven-baked tomatoes, smoky Canadian bacon, and a touch of mustard make an outstanding breadless, low-fat twist on eggs Benedict. A little vinegar is the simple secret to a perfect poached egg.

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(Dr. Arthur Agatston, Everyday Health) Fortunately, the same foods that can help lower LDL may also improve HDL and triglycerides. So instead of snacking on chips and doughnuts, consider these healthier options:

Nuts and seeds…

Apples…

Oat bran…

Grapefruit… But this snack is not for everyone. Because grapefruit can interfere with the breakdown of certain medications, including statins and calcium channel blockers, don't eat a lot of grapefruit or drink the juice as a snack if you're on these medications.

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Community: What I need in a snack I a hunger stopper. For me, that means some protein and fat. I’m most likely to snack on low fat cheese sticks or Israeli style hummus on celery. Nuts are good, too, but I limit the nut intake since I want to lose more weight.

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(Science Daily) A new weight-loss supplement … has the potential to burn as many calories as a 20-minute walk, according to Joel T. Cramer, assistant professor of exercise physiology.

Cramer says General Nutrition Centers contracted with OU to test the weight-loss benefits of the nutritional supplement called the tri-pepper blend, which contains black pepper, caffeine and a concentrated form of capsaicin -- the ingredient that makes red peppers hot. The OU study showed energy expenditures of three to six percent, results which are statistically significant enough to validate product weight-loss claims, Cramer said.

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Community: No need to pay extra for a supplement to provide those nutrients.

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(Science Daily) A researcher … is investigating the potential use of non-pathogenic baker's yeast as a promising, natural therapy for cancer…

"There is a possibility that we could find a way to treat not only the local tumor, but the tumor that has spread throughout the body," said Dr. Gus Gill… "As a surgeon, I always thought that a better way was to try to get rid of surgery (as a necessity) when dealing with cancer."

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(Science Daily) A new therapeutic made from tobacco plants has been shown to arrest West Nile virus infection, according to a new study…

There are currently no available vaccines against West Nile, nor effective therapeutics for human use, so the current findings are a considerable advancement and may offer the best hope thus far that the West Nile virus infection can be stopped, even several days after viral infection.

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