Study Links DDT Exposure and Breast Cancer
A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism has found a strong link between exposure to the chemical pesticide DDT and cancer. The research findings, reported by NBC News, shows that women whose mothers had DDT in their blood while pregnant were almost four times more likely to develop breast cancer than their counterparts.
The Importance of the Human Gut Microbiome
What do acute anxiety, diabetes, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, rheumatoid arthritis and autism spectrum disorders have in common? They, along with many other disorders, have all been linked to an imbalance of intestinal health, more specifically of the human microbiome, defined by the microorganisms that inhabit the gut. Historically speaking, there is…
Pyrethroid Pesticides May Increase Risk for ADHD
The natural insecticidal properties of pyrethrum, a chemical group found in the Chrysanthemum Cinerariifollum (a flower from the same genus as the common daisy) have been recognized at least since around 1800, when it appears in Chinese history. By 1845, bales of the dried flowers were being imported into the U.S., primarily for use against body lice and crawling…
India Still Reporting Cases of Polio-like Acute Flaccid Paralysis
India’s Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has reported that it has investigated approximately 18,000 cases of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP) in the country since January 2014 as part of its national polio surveillance program, established in 1997, and that all of the cases have tested negative for poliovirus. Some 50,000 cases of AFP are being detected annually in…
Should We Fear Getting Sick? A Traditional Chinese Medicine Perspective
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) originated in ancient China and is one of the oldest healing systems practiced for thousands of years. The discipline relies on the following four guiding principles: The body is an integrated whole—All parts of your body are interconnected and each part plays an integral role to its harmonious functioning as a whole; this includes your…
The Many Faces of Autoimmunity
Normally, the body’s natural immune system protects it against harmful outside substances called antigens, which could be a bacteria, virus, toxin, or a chemical or environmental irritant. An allergic reaction occurs when that protective action extends to a substance that is not ordinarily harmful, and an autoimmune reaction occurs when that same overprotective behavior…