Friday, February 26, 2010

Watermelon

Scientific Name: Citrullus Vulgaris


Biological Background: The fruit of an annual vine belonging to the squash and melon family. Watermelon originated in Africa and has been cultivated since ancient times in the Mediterranean region, Egypt and India.
Nutritional Information: One slice of watermelon (480 g) contains 152 calories, 3 g protein, 34.6 g carbohydrates, 2.4 g fiber, 560 mg potassium, 176 mg vitamin A (RE), 47 mg vitamin C, 0.3 mg thiamin, 0.1 mg riboflavin, and 0.96 mg niacin.

Pharmacological Activity: Watermelon is rich in lycopene, glutathione and vitamin C. It has great activity against cancers and some antibacterial, anticoagulant activity.
Eating Tips: Choose watermelon with a deep red color.

Healthy Recipes That Taste Good

Delicious Cauliflower
6 servings
  • 1 head cauliflower
  • 1 cup good quality olive oil
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 Tbs minced garlic
  • 2 Tbs chopped parsley

Separate cauliflower into flowerets and cook just until tender. Drain and keep warm. Heat the oil and salt in a pan and cook garlic and parsley for 2 minutes. Pour over the warm cauliflower and serve with additional chopped parsley if desired.
Vegetable Combo
4 servings
  • 2 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 cup each carrots, celery, and zucchini, sliced on a diagonal
  • 1/2 cup each broccoli and cauliflower flowerets
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 dry white wine or chicken broth
  • 1 Tbs light soy sauce
  • 1 Tbs lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
Heat oil in a non-stick pan. Add vegetables and stir to coat with the oil. Add garlic and stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer the mixture, covered, for 2 minutes more. Serve immediately for maximum flavor and nutrition.

Cumin

Scientific Name: 
Cuminum cyminum



Biological Background: 
A seasoning that is the principal ingredient of curry powder, a blend of powdered Indian spices. Cumin is a member of the parsley family and cumin seeds resemble caraway seeds. The aromatic seed has a characteristic strong, slightly bitter taste. Traditionally cumin has been used to flavor cheese, unleavened bread, chili, and tomato sauce.


Nutritional Information: 
Due to its use as a spice, cumin provides insignificant amount of nutrients.


Pharmacological Activity: 
Studies have indicated that cumin has strong anticancer activity, which may be due to its phytochemical cuminaldehyde. Cuminaldehyde also has strong antiinflammatory properties. In addition, cumin contains two phytochemicals, cuminyl ester and limonene, which have been shown to stop aflatoxin from binding to DNA to start the cancer process.


Eating Tips: 
Use cumin to add an earthy flavor to Indian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican cuisines.

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Fetal development

Every pregnant woman wants to know what is happening in her body, how her baby grows and develops, whether there are any dangers on his way. This is provided by a monthly prenatal visits to the doctor and various fetal development diagnostic studies. Ultrasonography is the most informative method of investigation that sought to identify abnormal fetal growth.

Fetus and its relationship with the mother’s body

Fetus is a growing organism, beginning with the ninth week of fetal development until birth. Before the ninth week this organism is called a fetus or embryo. A normal pregnancy lasts 40 weeks plus or minus two weeks. Gynecologists divide these 40 weeks into three terms: I trimester - up to 12 weeks, II - 12-24 weeks, III - from 24 weeks before birth.

Fetus is inextricably linked to the mother’s body, throughout pregnancy there is a system of mother - placenta - fetus operating. Mother’s body provides optimal conditions for fetal development. Mother and fetus collaboration involves nervous, endocrine, immune and other mechanisms. Mother’s body and fetus begin interacting most fully after placenta development, which allows fetus adapting to changing conditions in maternal organism.

Fetal development in the first trimester of pregnancy (up to 12 weeks)

In the end of the fourth week of pregnancy an embryo is implanted in uterus mucous membrane, where primordia of organs and membranes is formed. In the end of the eighth week of pregnancy length of an embryo reaches approximately 3 cm, it is already possible to distinguish head, torso (it is equal to the length of head), rudiments of limbs, eyes, nose, mouth. Microscopic structure of sex glands allows determining sex of the fetus.

In the end of the 12th week fetus reaches a length of 9 cm, weight - 40 g. Limbs are clearly defined, formation of external genitalia begins, x-rays allow seeing the points of ossification in a cartilage skeleton.

Fetal development in the second trimester (12-24 weeks)

During 16th week, the length of fetus reaches about 16 cm, weight - approximately 120 g, sex is clearly visible, skin is thin, smooth, reddish, without subcutaneous fat, face is almost formed, ossification of skull begins. In connection with formation of muscular system, activity of limb movement is growing, there are weak respiratory movements.

In the end of the 20th week fetus reaches a length of 25 cm, weight - 300 g. Movement is so active that mother feels them, and fetal heartbeat can be heard. Skin of fetus, starting with head and face is covered with prenatal hairs and entire body - eldest lubricant, consisting of a mixture of fat-like secretion of sebaceous glands with scales of skin surface layer. The first cal - meconium is formed in the gut. Subcutaneous tissue is formed in the lower abdomen.

In the end of 24th week the length of fetus is 30 cm, weight - 700 g. The internal organs are so mature that sometimes, under appropriate conditions, fetus may be viable for premature birth.

Fetal development in the third trimester of pregnancy (from 24 weeks until birth)

By the 30th week, the length of fetus is about 35 cm, weight - about 1 kg. Fetus looks like an «old man» because of poor development of subcutaneous fat, whole body is covered with prenatal hairs, ears are very soft, nails do not reach fingertips. In girls, large labia do not close small, boys’ testicles are not descended into the scrotum, navel is located closer to the pubis. Fetus is premature and unripe, that is unsustainable, as functions of its internal organs and systems are not perfect. After birth, survival of such fetus is small and is possible only under especially favorable conditions.

On the 34th week fetus has a length of about 40 cm, weight - about 1,6 kg. Fetus is viable, but requires special care conditions.

On 38-40th weeks fetus acquires the characteristics of maturity: its length is 45 cm, weight - about 2,5 kg. «An old man» look is lost due developed subcutaneous tissue, skin becomes pink, navel is located in the usual place. Fetus becomes fully viable.

Fetal development. Signs of fetus maturity

Full-term fetus under adverse conditions of intrauterine development may have signs of immaturity and vice versa, aborted fetus may be born mature, so the concept of preterm and maturity do not always coincide.

Fetal length is an important sign of maturity: not less than 47 cm; and weight should be not less than 2,5 kg. Signs of maturity also include navel position: it should be positioned midway between the sternum and the pubis. Other important factors: state of skin (pink), lack of «senile» atrophy, development of subcutaneous fat, presence of prenatal hairs only on shoulders and upper back, hair condition of hair, nails and other symptoms.

With a weight of 4 to 5 kg fetus is consirered large, more than 5 kg - giant. Weight increase may be associated with features of mother’s nutrition, hereditary factors, number of births, mother’s illness (for example, diabetes often causes a large fetus), etc. A newborn, which has great weight must be carefully examined to avoid possible diseases.

Balanced diet, locomotor activity, continuous monitoring of fetal condition by a women’s clinic doctor are a guarantee of a full-term healthy baby birth.

Problems in new born babies

Recently, experts conducted a small survey among kids in kindergarten: “What hurts you most?” The answers, in general, did not surprise - most children complained to their bellies.

Unfortunately, kids cannot say exactly what they are concerned - the intestines, pancreas, or something else, so parents should carefully examine problems in new born babies and respond quickly to the situation.

Problems in new born babies

Colic

After two or three weeks after discharge from the hospital, in addition to all existing concerns, you may receive another one - baby colic.

They display themselves as follows - during feeding or shortly after it a baby suddenly starts shrinking feet to the tummy, worries, and then abruptly turns red and screams.

Do not be strongly frustrated, in most cases, colic is not a disease, just your baby’s gastrointestinal tract adapts to new circumstances and learns working independently.

To avoid such problems, remember that during breastfeeding you should pay attention to what you eat, and renounce the use of products that enhance gas formation, such as cabbage and grapes.

Be sure to latch a baby to breast the right way and let him sucking as long as he wants, because “front” milk (first portions) is over-saturated with carbohydrates, which can contribute to gas formation.

If your baby still suffers from colic, put something warm to baby’s tummy or simply change his position in the crib to ease pain.

Food poisoning

Your baby is asking for a pot all the time and complains he has a stomach ache? One of possible causes - food poisoning. It occurs after eating low-quality products and causes sporadic general malaise, nausea, vomiting, spasmodic pain in the abdomen, frequent (more than 6-7 times a day) loose stool with undigested food particles or mucus, with greenish veins. In this case child’s pulse becomes more frequent, skin grows pale, temperature rises.

In this case you should wash a baby’s stomach: give him to drink several glasses of warm water and irritate the tongue’s root until vomiting. In case if diarrhea lasts for several hours, immediately call your doctor.

Infectious diarrhea

Any stool disorder is called diarrhea. It can be simple and infectious. Simple diarrhea in children is caused by overeating, violations of terms or rules of complementary foods introduction, often a reaction to unfamiliar products. Infectious diarrhea appears due to toxins or microbes in gastrointestinal tract. Poisons that give birth to organisms and damages of digestive tract cause the disease. Infectious diarrhea begins 6-48 hours after microbes getting in the body.

Intestinal poisoning can occur if you drink water from the tap or fresh unboiled milk. Poor quality kefir or yogurt, stale eggs, cakes and sausages, poorly cleaned or washed vegetables and greens - all these products are dangerous.

Pay attention to the symptoms that accompany diarrhea. First, your child may become listless, he no longer sits or lies, refuses to eat, then his temperature can raise and a few hours later diarrhea or vomiting begins.

When you notice such problems in new born babies, you should call a pediatrician as quickly as possible, so that he would appreciate the condition. A baby with a slight poisoning is left at home and prescribed a treatment. The most important thing in the acute period of illness - replenishment of fluid loss from vomiting and diarrhea. The main thing - in any case do not give a lot of fluid at once (it can cause vomiting). Give a teaspoonful every 5-10 minutes.

“Acute abdomen”

Often pain in stomach is a sign of the disease requiring immediate diagnosis and emergency intervention. This state is called “acute abdomen”. It is accompanied by bouts of severe pain, which can be either constant or spasmodic, “spilled” or local. The cause may be ileus, acute appendicitis, peritonitis, perforated ulcers of stomach and intestines. “Acute abdomen” requires immediate hospitalization and surgery, as it represents a danger to a child’s life.

Acute abdominal disease also causes dizziness, growing abdominal distension, marked weakness, lethargy, pallor, cold sweat. In case of “acute abdomen” it is absolutely contraindicated to give your child pain relievers, because it “erases” clinical symptoms and complicates the diagnosis, massaging the abdomen, applying heat to the abdomen, force-feed a child, do an enema.

To avoid problems in new born babies associated with tummy diseases, observe the following rules: - Children under 3 years should not stay long in the sun - food must be neutral, that is, excluding exotic food and ethnic dishes. Fruits and vegetables should be washed well before use, use only bottled water.

Abdominal pain - a symptom of various diseases of the abdominal cavity. The causes of many unpleasant sensations are numerous. Some of the most frequent: food poisoning, acute gastritis, parasitic infestation, dysentery, biliary dyskinesia, acute appendicitis. Unfortunately, young children cannot precisely determine the place of pain, and it is difficult to diagnose it. In acute abdominal pain one should not be given painkillers, because when arresting unpleasant sensations further differential diagnosis is hampered. Thermal procedures (hot-water bottles, baths, etc.) are strictly forbidden.

Baby bathing tips: infant bath temperature

Many latter-day parents are experiencing some difficulties in the first baby bathing, because they do not know what to do with this and which infant bath temperature to choose. In fact, at first, the process of bathing may seem rather complicated, and parents need special attention. It is at first, when you must be extremely careful to avoid the most common mistakes. Once you get used to it, you and your baby will truly enjoy the process of bathing!

Here are 10 basic tips for bathing infants and infant bath temperature:

1. Never leave your baby alone in the bath. This is of particular importance. There should be no fuss and make sure you are not distracted. Even if someone calls you in the door or by phone, do not leave the bathroom, just do not pay any attention to it. If necessary, wrap a child in a thick towel and take with you, but never leave him unattended.

2. Infant bath temperature should be around 36-38 degrees Celsius. Most infants prefer cooler water than adults, so it is best to use a thermometer to make sure the water temperature is suitable for your baby. If you use automatic water heater, check the temperature setting twice. Maximum infant bath temperature can be 45 degrees Celsius. Also, if you mix hot and cold water, make sure the result is a desired water temperature.

3. Fill the tub for baby bathing no more than 10 cm deep. Although the amount of water will seem too small, it is quite enough to bathe a baby. Remember that too much water can be dangerous for a baby, so do not risk.

4. Remember that it is very slippery in the bath, so you will need to prevent baby sliding inside of it in advance. This can be achieved due to a special mat on the bottom of the tub. At the same time, your hands will be free, and you will not have to always hold a baby.

5. Prepare everything you need in advance, namely:

- Two dry and warm towels;

- A soft sponge;

- Ph-neutral soap for babies;

- Clean clothes;

6. Pay attention to the metal drain hole. It is best to put on a special coating on it. You can purchase it at any children’s store.

7. Do not overdo with the use of soap and shampoo. It is important to use soap and shampoo, designed for infants, and in some cases it is better not to use neither one nor the other. Also, never wash a baby’s face with soap - it is enough to wash it simply with warm water.

8. Make sure your baby is unable to reach the faucet. Sometimes, it might seem it is difficult enough to open the valve with water, but it may be quite different, and this may lead to unintended consequences.

9. It is always better to bathe a baby with a partner, relative or friend. This helps expediting the process of bathing and make it more secure.

10. Remember, there is no need to bath your baby too often. Newborn babies should be bathed about once every three days.

Baby's smile first step to overall health

For THE HERALD

Healthy smiles are a sign of healthy children. February is National Children’s Dental Health Month. Every child deserves a healthy start in life, so parents should make oral health a priority today.

Of the 4 million children born each year, more than half will have cavities by the time they reach the second grade. Children need their teeth for smiling, talking, and eating food. Children with healthy mouths have a better chance of general health.

Poor oral health can interfere with eating, speaking, self-esteem and daily activities. Children with dental pain my be unable to concentrate in school. Decayed teeth don’t look nice and can affect a child’s appearance and self-esteem.

A parents oral health also affects a child’s overall health. If a parent has decay and doesn’t take care of their own teeth, they may not encourage their children to take care of their oral health. Teaching your children the importance of good oral health will provide them with healthy smiles for a lifetime.

Here are 10 ways parents can protect baby’s smile:

- Lift the lip

Parents should check their baby’s teeth monthly to look for signs of decay.

- Take your baby to the dentist

High risk children should have their first dental visit by their first birthday. All children should see a dentist by age three.

- Protect your baby’s teeth with fluoride

Fluoride strengthens the tooth structure providing a protective effect.

- Brush daily

Clean infant gums and first teeth with a moist cloth or a small soft toothbrush.

- Limit sugar

Increased frequency and exposure to sugar increases the likelihood of tooth decay.

- No bottles in bed

- Wean from bottle to cup by 1 year old

- Don’t share germs

Parents should not share toothbrushes with their children and they should not lick a pacifier before putting it in their child’s mouth.

- Assist with brushing up to age six

- Parents should take care of themselves

Children learn good oral health habits by watching their parents.

Healthy teeth begin at birth. As soon as the first tooth can be seen, parents should begin to clean their child’s mouth daily.

Health Highlights: Feb. 25, 2010

U.S. Health Agencies Hope to Speed Development of New Medical Advances

A new program will help U.S. health officials make speedier decisions about the safety and effectiveness of new products and procedures in fields of advanced research, such as stem cell therapy, genomics and nanotechnology.

The plan was announced Wednesday by the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Laboratory science leading to new treatments is far ahead of regulatory science, noted officials from both agencies, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Under the new program, a six-member council will work with top scientists from the FDA and NIH to ensure that the latest science is included in the regulatory review process.

In addition, the agencies will provide $6.75 million in grants for regulatory science research over three years.

One of the new program's goals is to speed up the process for testing the potency of flu vaccines. The process currently takes three to four months, but it may be possible to cut that in half, FDA spokeswoman Karen Riley told the Times.

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Fatty Foods Increase Women's Stroke Risk

Eating too much fat significantly boosts the risk of stroke in women over 50, says a new study.

U.S. researchers analyzed data from 87,230 women, ages 50 to 79, in the Women's National Health Initiative and found that those who ate the most fat had a 44 percent greater risk of stroke. Women who ate the most trans fat had a 30 percent greater risk of stroke, the Associated Press reported.

The study was presented Wednesday at an American Stroke Association conference.

"What's bad for the heart is bad for the brain," Dr. Emil Matarese, stroke chief at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Penn., told the AP. He reviewed but did not help conduct the study.

"We need to look at the labels on the foods we buy," in order to determine the fat content in foods, Matarese said. "This is a simple way that any woman, especially postmenopausal women, can improve their health. Simply avoiding fried foods is a big one."

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Avastin Effective Against Advanced Ovarian Cancer: Study

The anti-tumor drug Avastin helped slow ovarian cancer progression in women with advanced ovarian tumors, according to a study by drug maker Roche Holding AG.

The company said patients who received Avastin along with chemotherapy and continued to take Avastin had longer progression-free survival than those who took a placebo or didn't continue maintenance therapy with Avastin, Bloomberg reported.

No new drug-related safety issues were seen in the study, which included 1,873 women who'd had surgery for ovarian cancer. Roche said the findings will be presented at an American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting in June.

Avastin is approved for treatment of several types of cancers, including lung, colorectal and breast cancers. The drug restricts blood supply to tumors.

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FDA Approves Updated Prevnar Vaccine

An updated version of the children's vaccine Prevnar has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

The new Prevnar 13 vaccine is designed to protect children 5 years old and younger against 13 varieties of pneumococcal disease that can cause pneumonia, ear infections and meningitis. The current Prevnar vaccine protects against seven varieties of pneumococcal disease, the Associated Press reported.

The FDA was scheduled to make a decision on Prevnar 13 last fall but extended its review of the updated version of the vaccine twice since then.

After the original Prevnar vaccine was approved in 2000, the incidence of pneumococcal disease infections decreased dramatically. But the number of infections began to rise again in 2005 as new varieties of the disease began to appear, the AP reported.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Acupuncture Proves Successful in Helping People Quit Smoking

(NaturalNews) Anyone who has tried to quit smoking knows how hard it can be. The withdrawal symptoms can be too much for many people to cope with for long, and as the stress and edginess builds the first thing they reach for is their trusty old smokes. There are many products and therapies such hypnosis, chewing gum, patches and yoga that all claim to take the edge off and help ease you through the difficult process of quitting smoking. But there is one therapy that many people would never consider, and one that is recommended by the World Health Organization (W.H.O.), acupuncture.

The first thing that many people try on the road to becoming a non-smoker is patches. These patches work by putting the addictive nicotine back in to the body therefore reducing your craving to smoke. The problem is that your body is still used to receiving nicotine, and as soon as you stop wearing the patches you will instantly reach for the smokes to satisfy this craving.

Another popular treatment for people who wish to stop smoking is hypnosis. Hypnosis is meant to work by strengthening your will power. It does this by repeating over and over again that you don't want to and don't need to smoke. This is all done while the patient is in a relaxed hypnotic state making the subconscious more open to outside suggestion. Hypnosis practitioners claim that taking part in these sessions will increase your chances of stopping smoking by 1000%. This jump goes from just 6%, with will power alone, to 60% with hypnosis sessions. The main problem with this form of treatment is that you have to believe 100% in hypnosis itself and as there is no real scientific evidence to back it up that can be very difficult for many people.

Acupuncture works by placing long thin needles at specific points all over the body. This will stimulate blood flow, therefore increasing the amount of oxygen that is delivered around your body and the number of toxins that are flushed out. These points are known as acupoints and have been used for thousands of years to help cure all sorts of ailments. But when it comes to smoking acupuncture is so effective because it deals with the main reason that most people smoke in the first place, stress. Experts claim that acupuncture has a success rate of around 85 and 90%, which would make it one of the most successful procedures for helping people quit smoking. The procedure helps relax the mind and releases endorphins in the body. These endorphins will give you an enhanced feeling of wellbeing and will block out any of the negative feelings associated with withdrawal symptoms.

It is thought that the majority of people who quit smoking will relapse at some point or another no matter what treatment they use. This makes your own will power the ultimate tool in the battle to quit the smokes. So in the end it comes down to one simple question, how much longer do you want to live?

Diseases Caused by Smoking will be Graphically Depicted on Packs

(NaturalNews) Smoking is a habit associated with numerous diseases, and the labels on cigarettes will soon more accurately reflect this. Obama recently signed a measure that might update warnings on cigarette packs to stronger and more accurate messages, like Smoking Causes Cancer and Smoking Kills. Graphic images of cancers and other diseases caused by smoking will be on the packages as well; they will be required to be on half of the pack when the measure takes effect.

News reports are calling the images to be used "gruesome," and their purpose is to detour people from starting the disease-creating habit and encourage them to quit smoking if they've already started.

But what's really gruesome is that twenty percent of the population legally uses a widely available product that creates such disease in the body. Are artists' graphic images really that gruesome? Or are the actual diseases in real bodies? Most would agree that it's the actual diseases, although we are visually spared the gore of many diseases in the body because our skin covers them from view.

The truth is, you just have to look at all of the diseases caused by smoking to understand a whole lot more about the causes of disease in general.

Smoking is known to cause heart disease, cancers that can be anywhere in the body, lung diseases, breathing problems, sexual dysfunction, clogged and blocked arteries to the point where limps may be amputated, infertility, wrinkling, birth defects, and many more.

So, what is it about smoking that causes so many diseases?

Most people will answer that it's the chemicals in the cigarettes that are the culprit, and they would be correct. There are almost 600 known toxic chemicals allowed in cigarettes, and 4,000 dangerous chemical compounds in the smoke. And the problems above, the diseases caused by smoking, are exactly what you get when you have large amounts of toxic chemicals trapped inside the body. Because while the body can detoxify itself, it can't do anywhere near the job that is required when it's being so actively polluted.

No one really doubts that all of the chemicals taken into the body from smoking cigarettes regularly cause disease and problems. Rather, it's seen as a fundamental and obvious fact. But many still don't get that even if you don't smoke, you're still bombarded by many chemicals in the world today.

Toxic, man-made chemicals are omnipresent in most diets, personal care products and lifestyles, and they are largely unavoidable in our environment. As a society, we're also bombarded with health problems. However, you'd think we'd be a little faster to make the connection.

Nicotine gum linked to mouth cancer

(NaturalNews) Smoking cessation products such as nicotine gum, lozenges and inhalers may contribute to the development of mouth cancer, according to a study conducted by the Medical Research Council and published in the journal PLoS One.

"Although we acknowledge the importance of encouraging people to quit smoking, our research suggests nicotine found in lozenges and chewing gums may increase the risk of mouth cancer," said lead researcher Muy-Teck Teh, of Queen Mary, University of London.

The researchers emphasized that it is far more important to quit smoking than to avoid nicotine gum, and that the point of the study is to use cessation products just long enough to quit smoking, and not longer.

"Smoking is of course far more dangerous [than nicotine gum]," Teh said, "and people who are using nicotine replacement to give up should continue to use it and consult their [doctors] if they are concerned. The important message is not to overuse it, and to follow advice on the packet."

The researchers studied the activity of a gene known as FOXM1, which often occurs in a mutated form in many tumors, including mouth tumors, and also in precancerous mouth lesions. This mutation increases the activity of the gene.

The elevated activity of FOXM1 caused by the cancer-linked mutation is worsened by exposure to nicotine, the researchers found.

"If you already have a mouth lesion that is expressing high levels of FOXM1 and you expose it to nicotine, it may add to the risk of converting it into cancer," Teh said. "The concern is that with smokers, you are looking at people who are already at risk of oral cancer. I'm worried that some may already have lesions they don't know about in the mouth, and if they keep on taking nicotine replacement when they stop smoking products they will not be doing themselves any good."

Most nicotine replacement products advise users to scale back after three months and end use after six.

Sources for this story include: www.timesonline.co.uk.

Response from GlaxoSmithKline
NaturalNews received this response to this story from the Chief Medical Officer of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare:

I would like to respond to your October 12, 2009 article entitled “Nicotine gum linked to mouth cancer,” with important information about the study mentioned to clarify some points that may mislead your readers - especially those considering quitting smoking.

The study reported on in your story did not evaluate nicotine replacement therapy in human subjects – rather it exposed human cells to nicotine in a test tube like environment. The inferences made in the study about therapeutic nicotine safety are speculative.

There is no evidence that nicotine replacement products, like the nicotine patch or gum, cause cancer when used as directed by smokers to stop smoking. In contrast, cancer risk from smoking is well documented. Smoking is now known to cause eleven types of cancer: cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx, lung, esophagus, pancreas, kidney, bladder, stomach, cervix, and blood. Tobacco smoke contains 69 known carcinogens.

Data from clinical studies and real-life use, spanning more than two decades, established that stop-smoking aids such as NicoDerm® CQ® patch, Nicorette® gum, and Commit® lozenge are safe and effective when used as directed. They have helped millions of smokers quit when used as directed, and as a result their risk of cancer and other tobacco-related diseases is greatly reduced.

If smokers are concerned about cancer, the most important thing they can do to reduce their risk is to quit smoking and many smokers need assistance from nicotine replacement therapy to help them quit.

Smoking Increases and Risk for Bladder Cancer Increases Too

(NaturalNews) In the latest example of all good things eventually coming to an end, smoking is on the increase in America, just one year after the smoking rate in America hit an all-time low. Worst of all, the increased smoking rate brings with it an even greater bladder cancer risk.

Looking back, the year 2008 was historic. Think of it: For the first time since smoking was introduced in the United States, just 20 percent of the population smoked. But with the rate jumping to 21 percent in such a short span of time, this historic moment probably won`t be documented by historians or textbook writers.

Too bad. With all that we now know about the negative health effects of smoking, it`s amazing that people still smoke. Much of this has to do with the addictive nature of cigarettes and nicotine. But it`s also due to the estimated 1,000 people per day that decide to start smoking...despite everything we know about their effects on everything from our oral health to our bowel health.

Because smoking is so intricately tied to negative health effects, the increase has health officials flummoxed. Some theorize that the increase is due to a foolish belief that cigarettes aren`t the health hazard they once were because they`re not as prevalent in society as 20 and 30 years ago and because the FDA regulates tobacco.

But a recent study from the Journal of the National Cancer Institute illustrates why this assumption is so foolish.

Perhaps in an attempt to minimize the negative health effects of nicotine (aren`t they noble?), many cigarette makers have decreased the amount of nicotine and tar in their cigarettes. But this has done nothing to decrease the risk of bladder cancer. In fact, the risk for bladder cancer has increased five times over since the mid-1990s.

Researchers from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., and several others from the New England area`s departments of health discovered this after conducting a population-based study of smokers in three of the six New England states between 2001 and 2004 (i.e., New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine). They then compared the rates of bladder cancer in this time period with those from two studies conducted between 1994 and 1998 and 1998 and 2001.

Despite the decrease in nicotine and tar content in most cigarettes today compared to yesteryear, researchers believe the increase in bladder cancer cases is likely due to how smokers are smoking cigarettes, where they`re inhaling deeper and more frequently to compensate for the decreased nicotine content. It could also be due to the type of nicotine used. The nicotine in cigarettes today is far more carcinogenic than it was in the 1950s, as it contains more naphthylamine than it did then.

The clear takeaway from this study is that cigarette smoking is still a public health concern and ought to be on public health officials` radar screen with regards to how they can get the smoking rate back down.

In the meantime, health officials should suggest smokers supplement their diet with key nutrients and vitamins that become depleted due to nicotine`s health effects. These include vitamin C with bioflavonoids (about 5,000 to 20,000 mg per day), at least 200 mg of Coenzyme Q10 (among other things, this helps to flush the body of the approximately 4,000 chemical toxins inhaled with each and every cigarette puff) and grape seed extract (studies on grape seed extract report that it has chemopreventive benefits; take the dosage as recommended on label).