Category: Uncategorized

Study Confirms Health Benefits of Eco-Atkins

In yet another study designed to find out what it is about the food that we eat that is killing us, it seems to be indicated that “diets low in carbohydrates but heavy on meat” may be making us sick.  Apparently, according to the comparison of two long –term studies, it is much healthier to populate your low-carb diet with plant-based proteins rather than red meat.

The first study followed about 85,000 women for 26 years, from 1980 until 2006. The second study examined the outcome of the diets of about 44,500 men for the 20 years from 1986 until 2006. The researchers looked carefully at the health results the two types of low-carb diets produced in their practitioners. The results were striking.

Men and women on the plant-based protein low carb diet showed a marked reduction in overall death rate, and a pronounced diminishing in the death rates from cancer and cardiovascular disease. Often a low-carb/high-protein diet is referred to as an “Atkins Diet” after the developer of this way of eating. Those on traditional Atkins diets, which incorporates a lot of meat foods such as sausages, bacon, steaks and the like, showed a 23% increased risk of death overall, with a 14% increase in dying from heart disease and a 28% increase in the chances of dying from cancer.


Those who got their protein from plant sources, known as the ‘Eco-Atkins’ diet, showed a lower rate of overall death by 20%, and 23% lower death rate from cardiovascular disease.

The conclusions to draw seem clear. A low carb diet is only beneficial to one’s health if the source of all the protein and fat in one’s diet is not meat, but is instead things like avocados, peanut butter, soy, legumes, and nuts. Just eating fewer carbohydrates is not enough. The source of protein is crucial, as this study has shown.

Warning: Swimming May Be Hazardous to Your Health

Three new studies that looked at the use of chemicals in pools have reported that regular swimmers may actually be in for some health risks.

Swimming is terrific exercise, but people who regularly swim in indoor pools may be exposing themselves to some health risks from the chemicals used to disinfect pools, according to new research.

The concern here is with disinfection byproducts.  These are substances that form in pool water from the reactions that occur between disinfectants and organic matter that naturally exists in the water. What the three studies have found is that long term exposure to these substances has been linked to an increased risk for bladder cancer.

No one should panic just yet.  As the researchers all point out, their studies and the potential risk don’t, at the moment, out weight the health benefits of swimming.  These are preliminary studies and more long-term research is needed to explore these issues further.

Autism and A Mother’s Courage

Autism is a poorly understood illness which effects the proper functioning of certain parts of the nervous system. To a large variation in degree, those affected have difficulty with ordinary social interactions and communication abilities. These deficits are frequently accompanied by characteristic repetitive motions, such as swaying to and fro, or spinning in circles, which make the inability to communicate and interact more pronounced and difficult.

Parents of children with autism usually begin to notice symptoms in the first two or so years of life, although there have been many cases of a children appearing to develop normally at first and then suddenly regressing to a more autistic type of development. There is a range in the spectrum of the disorder, with two other named diseases contained within the definition of autism. Those are Asperger syndrome and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS.)


Although many, if not most children with autism cannot truly be self-sufficient when they reach adulthood, there have been cases of people with autism becoming successful in life.  For parents living with children with this often devastating illness, life can become a highly challenging journey. Recently a film about the struggles of families affected by autism has been produced to high acclaim. Take a look for yourself at A Mother’s Courage, and learn a little bit more about this poorly understood, yet catastrophic illness.

Flu Shot Time Has Arrived

As fall has arrived, it’s time to look ahead to getting your flu shot for the winter season.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that every person six months and older get a flu vaccine.  This year’s flu vaccine for the 2010-2011 season will protect against three flu viruses – an H3N2 virus; an influenza B virus; and the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu.

The good news for this year is that a record number of vaccine shots are expected to be distributed throughout the country so that there won’t be the panic and pandemonium that there was last year.


In a recent news release, Dr. Anne Schuchat of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, “Influenza is serious, and anyone, including healthy people, can get the flu and spread it. Flu vaccines are the best way to protect yourself and those around you.”

Creative Designs

For the fashion student who wants to succeed, try out your latest designs on your friends.  Why not organize a party or gathering for a group of friends where they play dress up?  This way they get a great evening of entertainment (for free or relatively cheap depending on what you decide) and you get free publicity for your designs.  It is a good way for everyone to get something they want.  It makes sense for people who are beginning in the design/fashion world to find a way to start off in this world which can often be very difficult to get into.  Use your imagination and see just how far you can go; you’d be surprised how easy it can be if you have good designs but are lacking a stage through which to display them, this is a perfect solution.

Finding Ways to Make Extra Money

Students always seem to be in the need of extra money.  But how does one go about making extra money without wasting too much of their precious student time?  The trick is, to work out what you are good at and see how that can be applied to what other students need.  For example, if you are a language buff, offer to do translations at a good price. If you are good on the computer, you could be the local network fixer.  Perhaps you fancy yourself as a guru in the kitchen; in that case you can offer to make special dinners for fellow students at an attractive price.  Whatever it is, you must have some skill that can be applied to make money.  Just follow through with it and you’ll find a great way to make money that shouldn’t be too difficult.